Dreemurr Chronicles: Our Own Route
by Ben10extreme
Summary: "My name...is Asriel Dreemurr. Me and my dear friend Frisk...we've had enough of everyone suffering so much and so often, due to our poor judgement. It's cost us control of our fates a long time ago...that needed to change. For that to happen, we needed to start doing the impossible. And with all of our Determination, everyone is going to survive this crisis...even Chara."
1. Beginning Things Our Way

**Sans: zzzzz...zzzzz...zzzzz...**

 **Papyrus: SANS! GET UP, YOU LAZYBONES!**

 **Sans: (yawns, then scratches ribs) what is it, paps? i'm workin' here."**

 **Papyrus: LYING ON THE GRASS SLEEPING ISN'T WORK! WE'RE ABOUT TO START THE STORY!**

 **Sans: really? huh. looks like another one has fallen ill with the 'Undertale Virus'. benny ben here couldn't help himself.**

 **Me: Can you blame me?**

 **Sans: *shrugs* maybe. maybe not. who really knows? is this really the time to start pointing bony fingers?**

 **Papyrus: SANS!**

 **Sans: *Snickers* anyway, ben doesn't own Undertale or it's characters, yadda yadda yadda. He doesn't feel very worthy of such a masterpiece that Toby Fox created.**

 **Me: Yep. Toby Fox is a genius. ^^**

 **Sans: very good. now if you excuse me, i'm gonna name off many of the altnernate names ben has, and you decide which one is lame. then i'll call him that most of the time.**

 **Me: Wait wha-**

 **Sans: let's see. ben. benny ben. benny bob. ben franklin. ben banneker. bennekin. benJAMin'. benboozled. bentastic. b-rex. and most infamously-**

 **Me: *glare* Don't. You. Dare.**

 **Sans: ...**

 **Me: Thank you-**

 **Sans: *troll face* ben 10.**

 **Me: GAAAAAAGH!**

 **Sans:hehehehe! it's in your profile name, dude! you shoulda seen that one coming!**

 **Me: *groan***

 **Let's just begin, shall we?**

* * *

...

...

...

...One would think of silence as just that, silence. Not a sound to be heard for any period of time. However...if you were in a position where that's all you have in a world where no one else but yourself resides in...you'll realize just how sad and lonely total complete silence can be. But there was no other choice for him. After everything he's done, and everything he's been through, he didn't think he deserved a happy ending. Not like the others, who have been striving for it for years. And even if he DID want it, it wouldn't do much good. Their happiness will soon turn into despair, with due time, because his was not very long.

This young boy's name...Asriel Dremurr. Royal Prince of the Underground as well as the blood son of Toriel and Asgore Dreamurr. This boy has suffered so much, and he tried to take it out on the world that inflicted that pain onto him. Luckily someone who resembled a very close friend he had a long time ago who had a major role in pushing him on that path, managed to stop him from continuing with his evil. And after a long and tearful goodbye, he broke the barrier between humans and monsters, allowing them to leave...while he has to stay.

It tore him apart inside, but this was the way things had to be. Sooner or later, he'll be turned back into Flowey The Flower...and that side of him isn't very good at making friends. No...Flowey is kind of a jerk...a REALLY big jerk. His parents were best thinking that he was still dead, instead of being seen doomed to turn back into Flowey. The complete opposite of this poor child wandering through the empty Underground...alone...

He decided to leave the flower patch he chose to watch over. With no one else here except for him, he doubted that anyone or anything would bring harm to them. Besides...he wanted to see something else for the moment. It was a place where he had first met the human who manahed to save him, even if it was only temporary.

Frisk.

He reminded him so much of Chara, his long-gone adopted brother. Same face, same hair, same clothes and shoes, they could be twins for crying out loud! However...Asriel noticed the difference after his fight with the former. Chara was not a very good role model, and they were sometimes pretty mean and spiteful towards everything around them. His adopted family, to him through Asriel's eyes, were at least tolerable. It was like he hated existence itself for some reason.

And then there's Frisk. He's the exact opposite when it came to personality. The boy was kind, gentle, caring, and incredibly friendly. And his pacifist nature, with some help from Toriel, made him a very charismatic young lad, befriending nearlt everyone he comes across. It wasn't easy at first, though. Frisk was targeted by most monsters of the Undergroud for his SOUL, the last one needed to help Asgore break the barrier. However, no matter what obstacles he srumbles upon, Frisk never fought back against them, only as an absolute last resort. But even then, he never took a single life, unlike what they were expecting.

Frisk could be a more likely candidate to be Asriel's brother than Chara, since they had so much more in common. Chara, again, wasn't the best role model...

Back on track, Asriel stopped within the deepest parts of Snowdin, the freezing temperature of the environment not nearly as bad as he thought it'd be, but he couldn't help but shiver every now and then. He steadily looked up to the entrance of The Ruins. The place where Frisk exited in order to truly begin his journey...and it's also the place Toriel was hauled up for a long time. She must have been looking after Frisk until he chose to leave on his own...but with great reluctance. Asriel could understand why. His mom was amazing. But...

 _I died a couple centuries ago. And when I died, Mom and Dad had stopped aging, period. That's how it works, Boss monsters like them only age with their children. Then they split up and kept themselves locked in these ruins and the Castle, respectively. Dad at least had his subjects to give him company. But Mom...before Frisk came, Mom was all alone down here, wasn't she...?_

Asriel didn't think his ears could droop any further than they naturally did...but he was proven wrong. He couldn't deny it even if he wanted to. Toriel's loneliness and Asgroe's inner conflict...the Kingdom falling apart...he knew that he was largely at fault for all of it. He didn't stop Chara's scheme while he had the chance because he didn't want him to dislike him more than he seemingly already did. He didn't want to lose Chara has a friend, the only one he had, so he allowed the two of them to walk right into the path of death, and paid for it dearly when he had second thoughts far too late. Then he had the heavy guilty feeling of leaving their parents with gaping holes in their hearts because they lost two children on the same night.

Asriel clenched his fists and his eyes closed. He was trying his best not to cry. His selfishness and his cowardice is what allowed those events to unfold, and it cost everyone dearly even after so many years. And his destructive and nihilistic impulses when he was reincarnated as Flowey really didn't help matters in the slightest. Trying to corrupt the one person who could possibly save the Underground from it's cycle of misery, and then trying to reset it all because he just couldn't take it anymore. He wanted to start completely fresh, with things going wrong being incredibly unlikely. While his reasons for 'Kill Or be Killed' were definitely understandable, it doesn't justify his actions. Not even a little. He put people through a LOT of pain so he could make he himself feel better.

He wondered if fate had a strong dislike towards him, or something. He was just destined to suffer for some reason. Before this entire crisis began, he might have complained about it. But now...he feels like everything that's happened to him, he deserves it. There was nothing he could do to change that. Everyone got their happy ending except for himx and it looks like fate decided to keep it that way as well. He no longer had a problem with that.

Unknown to him, however...there are a group of people who have made a decision to defy fate, and try something new...

"huh. so this is the forgotten prince. asriel, right?"

Asriel's eyes widened and he spun around to see who owned that voice. He felt just about ready to pass out.

Sans.

Yes, Asriel was well aware of who this skeleton is...and what he's put him through when he was Flowey. But he couldn't blame him for it. He was trying to cause an infinite chaotic loop, he was stepping in multiple times to make sure that didn't happen. And Sans was INSANELY strong. Trying to get past Sans...it was hell. Asriel wasn't a fan of swears, really. But that's what Flowey described it as. An uncountable amount of resets, that's what Sans did to them. And even if he DID somehow manage to get past Sans, he'd be too exhausted, then he's instantly taken down by Asgore, and he'd be forced to reset anyway. He then gave up altogether, after that.

Now this same skeleton was standing before him in the cold...not that he'd feel it, he's a skeleton. Anyway, here he was, with that same grin he always wears on his face. But his vibes we're unreadable, and it was making Asriel incredibly nervous. Would he be able to tell who he was fighting those many times...?

"hey, uh...i know this might be awkward...but i honestly didn't know that you were that pesky flower. it was definitely news to me, really. i would have held back a bit more." He shrugged. "i mean, how was i supposed to know that i was beating up a prince?"

Asriel's eyes widened and his mouth hung just slightly in shock. "How did you-"

"it's all over your face, kid. for me, this is the first time i've seen you in this form. and yet that feared look in your eyes when i approached you...it was also laced with familiarity." He placed his hands in his pockets. "now how would you be familiar with me if i never met you as you are? because you met me as someone else. the little chaos flower who tried to make it past me. am i right...?"

The child's eyes widened again. Sans was being incredibly lazy about it, but he was very perceptive. He should know this about him already, but having a child's mindset back, he couldn't help himself.

"...oh i almost forgot. frisk told me about the whole 'you being a flower' thing. i was only trying to confirm it myself."

Asriel blinked in surprise. "Wait...Frisk told you about me...?"

"he only told people he could trust with that type of information. but he didn't tell your parents...for obvious reasons." Asriel flinched. "don't worry, kid. those 'people' are only two of us. i'm one of them. alphys is the other." Alphys? Why would Frisk tell her about this? "hey...uh...the reason why Frisk eventually came out and told us...well...he just didn't have the heart to just leave you down here and not even try to do anything about it."

The boy lowered his head a little in response to that. Asriel thought he was beyond saving. And yet Frisk was willing to try anyway. But he just wanted to know...

"You mean...you're not here to kill me?"

Sans shook his head. "you did a lot of bad stuff...but you're not a bad kid at heart. you were put through hell for trying to be a good person, and i myself don't believe that being left down here all alone is a justified punishment. frisk 'noped' that so hard. somethin' along those lines." Asriel was about to ask more, but Sans groaned a bit. "ah jeez...i've been talkin' for so long...i gotta give my lungs a break..."

"...But you don't have lungs."

"...yeah." Sans grinned. Asriel remembered that he also liked puns...and they were HORRIBLE. And he didn't care at all. Neither did Toriel, apparently. "anyway, let's take a break with the depressing talk, kid. i gotta take you somewhere where we're trying to figure a couple things out. take my hand, i know a shortcut." Sans slowly offered his hand, his seemingly eternal grin still in place.

Asriel was hesitant. Even as Flowey, Sans was a very mysterious individual no matter how many times they encountered one another. However, he feared the consequences if he declined the offer. So he nervously reached his paw out and grasped Sans' hand.

What came next was a loud farting and spluttering sound. Asriel blinked in surprise while Sans chuckled.

"the whoopie cushion in the hand trick...don't underestimate the classics, kid." Asriel looked at him with a deadpan expression, while Sans simply shrugged. Had to lighten the mood somehow. "anyway, let's go." He gently grasped his hand and walked towards the entrance of the Ruins. Asriel was confused by this.

"Uh...aren't 'we walking the wrong wa-"

They vanished before he could finish.

 **(Alphy's Lab)**

Asriel regained his balance from the sudden jump, and Sans let go of his hand and placed his own in his pockets again. He had forgotten the skeleton could teleport. "yo al! frisk! i brought him like i said as i would!"

 _Frisk is here?!_

His mind didn't know what to do, but he didn't have to think about it. The first thing that happened was the sudden blur of purple and blue, as well as a tight hug. The familiar warmth of the embrace immediately made him hug back. And just like last time, he really didn't want to let go of him.

"Frisk...what's going on?" Asriel finally asked, but didn't move to break the hug. "Why did you send Sans to get me...?"

Frisk pulled back just slightly and flashed a bright smile at Asriel. Asriel remembered that Frisk was just a bit of a mute. Interestingly enough, it's been discovered that Frisk was selectively mute. It's just that he _very rarely_ spoke up. Because most of the time, they could tell what he's trying to tell people through his actions and feelings. Sign language tends to help, too. And so far, Asriel, Toriel, and Sans were the ones best at guessing what he was trying to convey to them accurately without speaking. And naturally, when he actually does speak up, everyone was listening.

...which leads to speculation as to what exactly made him want to be so quiet most of the time. Alphys says that you don't become selectively mute unless something _seriously_ bad happened to you in the past. Because other cases are shyness, and Frisk was far from shy.

Asriel let a sad, yet also happy, smile grace his lips as he relaxed into the hug a bit more. "Well, I missed you too. But you remember what I said don't you? I can't come back up to the surface with you."

Frisk shook his head as he stepped back a bit and placed a hand where his heart was while closing his eyes. The meaning got across: Frisk was definitely still upset that Asriel was unable to come back to the surface, but that it wasn't the reason he sent for him.

Asriel blinked and tilted his head to the side. "Wait...you're not? But then...why DID you send for me?"

"I...I...I would like to take the time to explain that." Asriel turned around to see Alphys, the reptilian-like genius who is currently in a relationship with Undyne. She's also one of the biggest otakus out there. Was it also mentioned that she's super adorable? "I-If I may, Your Majesty."

Asriel immediately shook his head. "Just call me Asriel. With the short time I have left, I don't really want anyone to feel like they have to regard me as a prince."

"Right, of course." Alphys avoided direct eye contact with him at all costs, and only Sans was able to notice. It wasn't like he could blame her. It wasn't just the Amalgamites that were her creations, but Flowey was her creation as well. And to be told by Frisk that Flowey was the Royal Prince reincarnated into a soulless creature bent on destruction...Alphys had just gotten her conifdence back, and she was trying **hard** not to let all of that progress go to waste.

She had a hand in putting Asriel through immense agony. She can't even look him in the eye at the moment. His misery had been prolonged for years because of her. It was a high chance that Asriel was mostly aware of this, but had chosen not to say anything for her sake. After all, having absorbed all of the souls of the monsters before, he sensed that hers was dilled with immense self-hate and despair because of her failures. There was no reason to push her back down that road.

"...A-anyway, I wish to discuss something with you with the time you have left, Asriel. I'll need you to pay close attention because you might not have long, okay?" Alphys instructed him. The child nodded readily as she turned to her large computer and began typing. Her glasses shining white as a result to indicate her seriousness.

"I've been spending as much time as I can researching something...very unsettling." Alphys continued. "With Sans' extensive knowledge and Frisk's experiences with loading and saving, I've managed to piece together a very possible scenario when it came to their time travels. Asriel...when you were Flowey, you were able to load as long as you used a save point, and you could reset whenever you wish. But then you lost that power when, Frisk's **DETERMINATION** greatly surpasses yours, right?" Asriel nodded, still looking uncomfortable. "Well...according to Sans...that can be our greatest asset...or our greatest undoing. For this timeline, we've gotten the best possible ending. Pacifist. Frisk never harms anyone, but spares them even when they attack him, it's why he's made so many friends." The word 'PACIFIST' appeared on the right side of the screen on her computer. "However, since no one is perfect...not even sweet little Frisk~" Alphys managed to coo playfully. Frisk pouted at this, causing Sans to snicker. "He didn't meet all the requirements of the Pacifist ending at first, so he got a Neutral ending instead. The Neutral Ending has many ways of closing. But no matter how many times I replay it with different variables added in and taken out, the end result is the same: Asgore dies." 'NEUTRAL' appeared in the center of the screen. The Royal Scientist sighed. "And now, the most difficult part."

"Most difficult...part...?" Asriel repeated slowly.

"yeah. it's got something to do with your 'bro' chara." Sans said this as deadpan as he could, but the prince did not miss the venom seeping into his tone. This was not reassurring for him. Asriel could only turn his head towards the screen in fear of what would appear on it. What exactly did Chara do...?

...his heart sank when he saw 'GENOCIDE/NO MERCY' appear on the left side of the screen.

"In this timeline...Chara has fully possessed Frisk...and destroyed everything. He still had **DETERMINATION**...but he's devoted it to evil. Killed all of he monsters, and most of our friends. Your mother was the first victim." Asriel began to shiver profusely, but did not tell her to stop. "He was relentless. He tore everythinf apart, taking everything we've ever loved and destroyed it without any care in the world." Alphys lowered her head. "Toriel...Papyrus..." Sans just barely managed to keep his cool for those two. "Undyne...Mettaton..." Alphys had to take a few minutes to pause after that one. "...and after a while, Sans...even Asgore. One by one, the ones considered heroes compared to him fell before him. I managed to avoid his path of destruction...not that it mattered. He manages to destroy the world anyway, so my efforts of evacuation...were for nothing." Alphys thought bitterly, folding her hands and looking down at her keyboard. "...Asriel. You were the last one. He killed you last, despite that you were begging for your life and he was well-aware that there was no afterlife for you without a soul..."

Asriel clutched his chest tightly as he tried not to faint. It was too much for him all at once. "...Chara did...all of that...? But...we're...supposed to be brothers..."

"that ain't brotherhood, asriel. a real brother doesn't cut down their own sibling until they turn into nothing." Sans responded bitterly. Frisk gently patted his arm, concerned. Sans sighed. "i'm fine, kid...i'm fine."

Asriel actually fell to his knees as he stared up at the ceiling, a face strained with self-blame. He had thought that Chara was a good person who only needed a bit more guidance. Hearing all this...put in into a very shaky mental state. Because he knew that Alphys had no reason to lie to him, not over something like this.

...did Chara ever care about him or his parents at all...?

"...what...did he do...after that...?" Asriel asked slowly, not taking his eyes off the ceiling. Alphys turned back to the computer.

"Sans noticed it in other timelines. He saw Frisk, but Frisk was no longer there. High chance that he sold his soul to Chara in order to bring the world back, which resulted in a forced reset...and it left him in control of his body. So every timeline he visits after that becomes tainted and unfixable. He poses as Frisk. And when our guards are down, he'd kill us all without anyome ever noticing. Until he destroy the world again...and then resets again."

"to put it simply, chara is a pretty major reason why there are constant resets. because Frisk wouldn't want to reset after a happy ending." Sans spoke up. "he finds it funny to watch us earn our happy ending by making us start back at the beginning. it's finally getting on my last _bone_." Frisk and Alphys chuckled softly at his joke, and his genuine grin signed through. He had to lighten the mood somehow, right? "but in all seriousness. if we want these resets to stop, then chara has gotta go. and he can't come back."

Asriel turned towards him. "Get rid...of Chara...? But Chara is..." he stopped where he was and stared at the ground in disbelief. As a brother, he was supposed to not want Chara to be taken out, because he somehow still finds his heart connected to Chara. But as a Prince...his kingdom will never see peace and prosperity if Chara still exists to taint every timeline he comes to. Asriel feels so conflicted about the entire thing.

Frisk patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. Asriel locked eyes with Frisk, wanting to know something about him that he may have missed. When he found it, Asriel sighed as he closed his eyes with a resigned sigh. If Frisk of all people believes that Chara needs to be dealt with...then he must truly be beyond saving...no matter how much he wants to try. Chara resets to mess with their heads, and no one but Sans is always completely aware.

"so that's why i wanna do somethin' i really don't wanna do. it's a real pain in the tailbone...but we're gonna have to reset." Sans continued. and when we reset...i'll be lending a hand, kind of. alphys is helpin' too. with her technology and our time-based abilities, we were able to see how each route ends and what's required of them. now it's time that we do things... _our_ way."

"…Your...way...?"

"Because of Chara's constant interference, we've been through all the endings there was to go through, even if most of us don't remember it." Alphys nodded. "So we're wondering if we did make the choice to follow the Pacifist route...but we do it in a way that no one can expect. In a way where Chara is placed in a serious disadvantage. Where we can corner him and purge him for good." Alphys turned back towards the screen. "Frisk...will have to perform another true reset. None of us are going to like it...Sans really hates it...but we have to. Our happy route will always be in danger when Chara is active enough to ruin it."

Asriel looked at his hands. It might just be possible. But if they go along with this crazy scheme of theirs, then he'll turn back into Flowey, and he might even remember the evenrs, which will make him hate Frisk again. That's very bad, since he really doesn't want to hurt anyone anymore...

"look, kid. trust me when i say we don't like this anymore than you do. at the very least, frisk will be looking for a way on how to help you break away from your flowey curse for good. but at the moment, you'll turn back into him no matter what. what we need is your thoughts on this while you still have your free will."

Asriel was feeling even more tense than ever before. They want to know _his_ thoughts on this before they can actually go along with it? Frisk probably had something to do with that. Asriel didn't know what to think. It doesn't matter if he agrees or doesn't agree and they choose to cancel the plan with the latter answer. Flowey will resurface either way. Which is why they're asking if he has any other displeasures with the plan, he should speak up now. And it was true he wasn't entirely up for the plan.

...he decided to trust Frisk. He doesn't have any reason on hand to NOT trust him.

"Frisk...just do what you need to do. I'll be okay." Asriel nodded softly towards him, and the boy returned it.

"Alright." Alphys nodded as she reached through her things, grabbed a glowish pen from it, and began writing something on a photo. "Unlike you three, once the reset happens, I won't remember too much of anything after this. So Sans, once you've done what you need to do when you first meet Frisk, you must come to my lab and show me the note on this photo. It might be rocky at first, but my memory will definitely come back. I believe in it."

Sans took a look at the photo for a little bit, then chuckled again. "so short, so simple, and yet so passionate. figured you had it in ya, alphys." The comment made Alphys blush and hide her face with her tail. "alright. like a banana, it's time to split." Frisk was the only one who chuckled. Alphys and Asriel groaned. "frisk, when you're ready, go ahead and reset."

Frisk looked down when Sans said this. Then he walked up to Sans and gave him a hug, burying his head in his jacket. "frisk? what's the matter, bud?" Frisk looked up to meet Sans' eyesockets, and intensely apologetic look on his face. Sans immediately understood, and began rustling his hair. "oh, i see what it is. you're worried about me, aren't ya?" He sees the confirming nod, and sighed. "look kid...i cam understand that. i've experienced so many resets that it hardly seems to matter to me anymore. however...this is a chance to end that cycle once and for all. i'm not putting my hopes too high, don't wanna be too disaboneted." Frisk snickered again. Alphys facepalmed. And Asriel was sighing with mental exhaustion. Well, he was already mentally exhausted, but this added to that. "but i'd be a scaredy-bones if i _didn't_ take the risk. if we succeed, great. awesome, even. if we don't...well...nothing really changes for me, then." Frisk deflated greatly at thisx with guilty feelings bubbling within. But Sans grinned again, shaking his head. "but don't let me discourage you, kid. ultimately, it's your call. i'll support either decision you make."

Frisk looked around the room to the three of them. Then his mind went back to his other loved ones: Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, Asgore...he's even grown to like that pesky Annoying Dog. The canine lived greatly to its title, but still manages to be more bearable than Jerry...even Frisk tends to cringe around Jerry.

...nobody seems to like Jerry very much.

Frisk really didn't want to take away this happy ending from them...but he had to make sure it never becomes undone again.

With regaining resolve, Frisk closes his eyes, and concentrated. Sans nodded in acceptance, winking with one single glowing blue eye, as he, Asriel, and Alphys disappeared.

"see ya on the other side, kid."

Frisk remembers his friends and family. The ones he strived to achieve a happy ending for. He was more than willing to do it all again, AND make sure that it never becomes undone again. This new goal, and the mindset of going on the Pacifist route with a few more twists and turns of their own choice...

...

...

...

Frisk is filled...with **DETERMINATION.**

* * *

 **How was that? Depending on the response I get, it'll decide whether I should keep going or not. I DO hope it gets somewhere though. Right Sans?**

 **Sans: zzzzz...zzzzz...zzzzz...**

 **Me: ...he went back to sleep.㈴9*sigh* This is only the beginning...**

 **See ya aroundx possibly~**


	2. Toriel The Caretaker

**Toriel: Oh my! This chapter is named after me! *blush* I'm flattered~**

 **Sans: of course it is. You're the author's favorite character. he was bound to do something like this eventually.**

 **Me: Of course. Goat Mom is best mom! ^^**

 **Sans: actually, she might not be a goat-**

 **Me: I WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY ARGUMENTS! *hugs Toriel* Goat Mom~**

 **Sans: *snickers* oh, i get it. you're a goat momma's boy!**

 **Me: No i'm not! *chases Sans around, but he keeps teleporting out of reach* Stand still! *chase continues, lamp falls over***

 **Toriel: Boys, don't roughhouse! *sighs, then turns to readers* Forgive me, but I must tend to this matter at once. Help yourselves to this chapter in the meantime. *begins to chase the boys. A table is flipped on it's side* Boys! Stop this at once!**

 **Flowey: *rolls eyes* It's only the second chapter...the intros can NOT be this chaotic already! Ugh...**

* * *

Frisk slowly opened his eyes, peering up into the light. Okay, memory serves that this is where he landed when he first stumbled into the Underground. He got up a bit in order to see what he landed on. The bed of golden flowers that broke his fall the very first time. He was definitely in the Ruins, and that could only mean one thing.

 _Toriel..._

It was very clear how he felt about her. The mother he wished he could have. As far as he could remember, he didn't have a mother. Or at the very least...a mother who cared about him as much as she did. Of all of his loved ones, she made him feel safest. He could still recall how they interacted. She purposely laid out special marks or hints to figure out the puzzles, literally held his hand through the more difficult puzzles, made him delicious cinnamon butterscotch pie, offered to educate him...her look of sadness when he had to leave. It was she that placed him on the road of a pacifist...without forcing him. When he last left, she stayed behind in the Ruins...

...time to change that particular action. But first, he had to get past his first major obstacle...but he look on his face told him that he will not enjoy it. However, he won't make any progress by staying here. He got off his feet, dusted off his sweater, and made his way forward. This was the beginning of his journey to break the cycle of resets once and for all.

He was filled with **DETERMINATION.**

...what he _wasn't_ with, however... was food. And he was definitely hungry. But he'll have to endure it for now.

He traversed through the darkness of the ruins, where everything seems silent for the moments. He could see the aged pillars still strong enough to hold up the ceiling, and that they we're covered with a lot of leaves and flowers and plants of many kinds. As expected, this place was ancient, and for good reason. It doesn't seem that anyone was disrespectful enough to try and trespass through this place...it was clear that hostiles were not welcome.

...suddenly, Frisk hears the earth shift a bit, and looked up ahead to see a ray of light. Frisk nodded silently, right on schedule.

He walked up to Flowey, otherwise known as As-

 _In the future, if you uh, see me... Don't think of it as me, OK? I just want you to remember me like this. Someone that was your friend for a little while._

Frisk halted his train of thought and relaxed a bit. He remembered those . Asriel was so ashamed of the actions he took as Flowey, that he found it best if Frisk not regard them as the same person. He was deeply pained by this recall. But he had to honor that request, no matter what. Because he wouldn't be seeing Asriel for a very long time on this route. He had a lot of work to do, that's for sure.

With his resolve reformed, he approached Flowey as calmly as he could. Then when he got close enough, he sees the flower look up towards him and sported a cheerful and friendly smile. Frisk he was well aware that it was jusy a mask, but will play along anyway.

"Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" The plant said cheerfully.

Frisk nodded silently as he stared at Flowey. He's well aware of the two ways that this encounter can go, but it will have the same result. It might not matter how he proceeds from this, Flowey will turn hostile. He had to be careful about how he chooses to proceed next.

"Ummm...are you okay? You dozing off or something?" Flowey asked in a fit of confusion. Frisk regained his focus and shook his head lightly. "Hm...anyway, it seems that you're new to the Underground, aren't you? It seems someone will have to show you how things work around here. Guess little old me will have to do! Ready? Here we go!"

Frisk nodded quietly as he prepared to make progress. His soul manifest in front of him as a small red heart. "See that red heart? That's the culmination of your very being. Your soul." Frisk nodded once again, pretending to be clueless until the right moment. "Your soul starts off weak...but you can make it strong if you gather a lot of LV. Which stands for LOVE!" Flowey was excited about this, but Frisk wasn't that impressed. Thanks to Sans, he knew better than to fall for misleading anagrams. "You can gain more LV pretty easily. Love is shared with..." Five white pellets that looked a lot like seeds appeared in midair, above Flowey. "Little white friendliness pellets!" He also had to resist saying how lame he thought the name was, even if it was a trick. "Ready? Move around and gather as many as you can!"

Now is when things get difficult and risky. The white pellets slowly made their way towards Friskx and he took the time to move out of the way, almost casually. They we're going awfully slow, after all. He could see out the corner of his eye, Flowey's face turning into one of annoyance, while still trying to keep his cool. "Hey...buddy. You missed them. Let's try that again, okay?" More pellets flew at him, even faster this time. Frisk still managed to dodge by quickly sidestepping to the right, while also making sure his soul didn't get hit. Flowey grew noticably angry. "...Is this a joke? Are you brain-dead?" Ahah, there it is. " **RUN. INTO. THE. BULLETS!** " Pause... "...friendliness pellets!" Once again, the pellets we're being launched at Frisk, and once again, they we're effortlessly dodged. After a moment of silence, Flowey's face twisted into one of maniacal amusement. _**"You know what's going on here...don't you?"**_ Frisk nodded almost immediately. _**"You just wanted to see me suffer."**_ Frisk shook his head just as quickly. For a split second, he could see the curious, surprised look on Flowey's face to that response. But he got over it, as he formed a ring of white pellets around Frisk, who was keeping calm. _**"DIE."**_

Frisk closed his eyes as Flowey laughed manically, while the white pellets close in on him. Frisk waited patiently, for the right moment. His patience was rewarded, as he feels the pellets disappear before they could strike at him. Flowey's face contorted to one of angry disbelief. The a white ball of fire appeared a few feet away from him, and it flew straight at Flowey.

 _NOW!_

Frisk ran in front of Flowey, staring at the ball of fire, though he was able to make it look like he took a misstep. The fire then dissipated before it could hit him, and he sighed with relief. He would have been okay with taking the hit, but that would have dealt unnecessary damage to him. Flowey watched this unfold with a look of shock very clear on his face this time.

This...was not expected.

Frisk sighed as he looked up to the darkness ahead of him. And happiness surged within him at the one who walked out to meet him. The tall one with long robes and a strange symbol on the front. Physical features, has a pair of visible fangs and long eyelashes; the irises have a red tint to them. And the protective, warm, gentle glow that was visble within thise red eyes...there was no way he could mistake her.

Toriel.

...no... _Mom._

"Oh dear, that was far too close. I almost hit the young one by accident." Her soothing, motherly voice slightly echoed off of the walls of the room they were currently in. "Are you alright, my child? You seem a bit startled." It wasn't a lie. Even though he knew Toriel wouldn't intentionally harm him, he did have a bit of a panic when he saw the fireball heading towards him. Nevertheless, Frisk nodded as he looked behind him for a second. Flowey was gone...for now. He wondered if saving him from the hit would leave an impact. Unlikely, but it was worth a shot. Toriel walked over to Frisk and carefully picked him up to check him for any possible wounds before her arrival.

Frisk was slightly surprised that she picked him up so easily. Then again, he was a young seven-year old child, who was roughly around the same height as Sans, just slightly shorter...and Sans was short. Though truthfully, he had absolutely no problem with being carried this way whatsoever. Toriel's presence always made him feel safe ans protected, and very much loved.

After being sure that he was uninjured, Toriel set Frisk down, a gentle, soothing smile on her face. "It seems you are unharmed. I'm relieved." She clasped her hands and closed her eyes for a couple moments. "I am Toriel, and I am the caretaker of these Ruins. I pass through this place everyday to see of anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to appear here in a very long time." Frisk holds out his hand with a smile. Toriel blinked softly, but return the smile and gently grabbed hold of his hand. "Come. I shall lead you out of the catacombs." With this, she began leading him to the entrance of the next room. Frisk checked behind him to see of Flowey would still be there.

No sight of the flower. But he knew he was watching. Somewhere...

But he would worry about that later. Right now, his focus was purely on Toriel. Her warm, fuzzy, furry paw felt nice intertwined with his hand, and he enjoyed the warmth very much.

"Would you mind telling me your name, young one?" Toriel asked Frisk after a while. Frisk looked up to her and briefly told her his name. "Frisk...such a nice name. Sure it can mean searching others for certain objects...but it can also mean being energetic and playful. I can guess this maynreflect off of your nature...just a bit." Toriel smiled warmly at him, then tilted her head. "It's strange. This is our first time meeting one another...and yet I swear that I feel like I'm talking to someone I've known for ages...no, I must be mistaken. That isn't possible, is it?"

It's like Sans said, after all. Even if Frisk did a true reset, there would be a feeling of familiarity passing over their friends due to having met them before. It was obvious that Toriel's was the most obvious since his bond with her was one of the strongest and deepest.

Toriel did her best to lead the child around the Ruins, which was filled with a plethora of puzzles and traps. Obvioisly she lead him through the more difficult puzzles because telhey were far too dangerous, and even the small-scale puzzles he had at least a bit of assistance from her. Marking the wall to tell which switch to press, informing him on how to interact during encounters...she even beamed when Frisk managed to make a friend in Napstablook all by himself. Because the 'dapperblook' was super cool to him. At one point, she even allowed him to call her 'Mom'. He would have called her that anyway, sooner or later.

Also...he remembered just how terrifyingly protective the woman was. Seriously. Course she was still a sweet and kind lady who doesn't like to resort to violence...but that doesn't mean she can't. Her intense death glare at that one Froggit who tried to attack him, served to be one example. As for the other example...

"My child! What happened to you?!" Toriel almost screeched in shock when she saw came out of her house preparing for his surprise, when she saw him come to her with a black eye, it looked pretty dark. Frisk was trying to avoid attacks as accurately as he could, but he got sloppy and a Migosp landed a blow to his eye. He hadn't needed to dodge constantly for a long time, so he's gotten rusty. Frisk flinched when she saw the very clearly angered look on her face when he relayed this information to her. "Oh dear, it was irresponsible of me to leave you alone by yourself just to surprise you..." she sighed as she kneeled in front of him and planted a soft kiss on his eyelid. It made him feel a bit giddy, because of the feeling and it also healed the black eye instantly. Once that was done, she gently grasped his shoulders and stared at him intently. "Where is this Migosp, Frisk? You **will** receive an apology." Frisk gently held both of her paws and shook his head, telling her that he was fine and that it was okay. She was reluctant to let it go, but she sighed again and the anger left her face. "Very well, my child. Whatever you wish." She nodded as she lead him into the house. He had to remember what will be coming up next in a short while, and mentally prepare himself for it. But for now...

...he examined the cute, tidy house in the middle of the Ruins. It fills him with **DETERMINATION.**

Anyway, he made his way inside of the house where Toriel waited patiently for him. "Surprise surprise! I've prepared a butterscotch-cinnamom pie! I wanred to celebrate your arrival as properly as I am able to. So I shall hold off om the snail pie for tonight." Frisk sighed in relief. "Come, there is another surprise I have waiting for you." She held his hand again and lead him into a hallway.

"Here you are, your new room. I hope you like it." Toriel smiled, as she petted his hair gently. Frisk closed his eyes and leaned into the paw petting him. After a while, she sniffed the air and gasped lightly. "Hm...is something burning? M-Make yourself at home!" Fearing for the life of their pie, Toriel bolted out of the hallway to check on them, while Frisk was left behind to explore just a bit more of the rooms.

There wasn'to anything significantly different he could change here that would alter and improve his relationship with Toriel. But there WAS something he CAN prepare for. He noticed one potted plant sitting on a dresser. The idea he had in mind for later that involves that plant...it filled him with **DETERMINATION.**

...But for now, he was **DETERMINED** to fill himself with Toriel's butterscotch-cinnamon pie, as he was still hungry. So with a slightly relaxed pout, he made his way to the kitchen where she was wearing a look of relief due to the fact that she just managed to save her pie in time. She smiled when she met Frisk's eyes.

"Oh, hello, My Child. Did you take a look in your new room? How do you like it?" Frisk nodded to show his appreciation for his new room. "I knew you'd like it. It has such an air of familiarity that it makes you not want to leave." She chuckled slightly at the last part, but Frisk knew the meaning behind that particular set of words. So soothe her, he ran over to one of her shelves, reached up on his toes, and pulled out a book for her. She grabbed it and looked at the cover. "'72 Facts About Snails.' Ooh, this book is quite an informer. But...you don't want to be bored by a silly book like this, do you?" Shaking his head, Frisk ran up to grab a slice of pie, hand her the book, and smile at her brightly. She chuckled in amusement. "Well, I cannot refuse such a face like that." She rakes the book and sits in her chair. Frisk also made sure to climb onto her lap and make himself comfortable. As if she knew this already, she placed her arms around him while keeping the book in her hands, along with a soft smile. "Alright, if you say so."

She opened the book and began reading to him. "Here's an interesting snail fact. Did you know that snails...sometimes flip their digestive systems as they mature?" Frisk shook his head no, as he eagerly eats a piece of pie. He immediately wanted to go home right when he reached her house. He didn't take the time to find out about the snails. Toriel nodded and looked towards another page. Snails have the reproductive organs of both, males and females, known as hermaphrodites. Though they are unable to have offspring of their own, so they must mate with another and then both of them will have the ability to lay eggs." Frisk's jaw dropped when he heard this. He truly, genuinely didn't know that about snails. He found himself paying close attention now. Toriel laughed at his reaction. "You seem quite shocked, Frisk! But it's true!" She once again turned the page. "Snails can see, but they are unable to hear. And yet another thing about snails..."

This went by for hours. Toriel going through her book about snails, and Frisk listening intently on her lap while eating his slice of pie. When she noticed that he had fallen asleep against her bosom, she smiled and closed the book, set it on the nightstand next to her, and held him closer to her. She contemplated carefully carrying Frisk over to his room and into the bed, but he had a soft, yet firm grip on her that told her he wasn't letting go. So she didn't fight it. She hugged the small human, placed a soft kiss atop his head, and smiled.

"Goodnight, my child."

Frisk gently nestled himself against her bosom. He didn't instantly asleep, but the sound and sensation of her heartbeat softly pounding against his head certainly helped him get there. In no time at all, the pair were finally completely asleep, cuddled together next to the warm fire after filling themselves with pie. This was a tender moment between them that Frisk won'r ever regret having.

He would need his rest...for the next day would be where the true hard part of the first stage...

 **(The Next Day)**

"...Have you begun to wake yet, my child?" Toriel softly whispered to Frisk, as she woken up just a bit before she began waking him. Frisk made slight movement to indicate that he was awake. "Very good...are you going to let go of me soon?" Frisk groaned in response, attempting to bury his head deeper in her chest to avoid waking up. Despite how important his objective was, waking up early tends to dull his priorities. Even if he was surpisingly more mature than most children, the fact remains that he's still a child. Toriel chuckled slightly. "My child, I do wish we had more time to cuddle. But we really should start our day." Frisk sighed as he removed his head from her chest and got onto the floor. She also stood up and clasped her hands, walking ahead of him. "We have much to prepare for, my child."

Frisk sighed. Well...there's no use in delaying it any longer. And they just woke up too. However...he needed to convince Toriel to see things the way he see things, and hope they reach a compromise. He took his time to gather his thoughts, then finally fained the bravery to ask Toriel when they would leave the Ruins. As he feared, her smile cracked a bit while looking at him with a slightly pained expression.

"W...Whatever do you mean, my child? This is your home. You're completely safe here...Why would you want to leave...?" Frisk tried to keep himself together. This was still very difficult to do, despite the possible outcomes. He told her that there was something he had to do, and that she knew what it was. Her reaction was to sigh and once again turn around. "…excuse me for a moment, my child. I have to tend to something for a moment." She said softly as she began to move forward to the Catacombs again...

...but Frisk grabbed her paw before she could move any further. She visibly tensed up when he did this, but she didn't look back. "My child...please let go. I have...to do something..." He refused. Instead he ran in front of her and hugged her again. He was going to end the would-be fight before it could begin.

He gently pleads with her not to do this. Her eyes widened as he tightened her hold on her while saying his peace. He told her that she knew she was trying her best, and he knew that she was actually doing well at looking after herself. But he could see deep in her eyes just how lonely she was down here. The mere thought of her trapping herself down here just so he couldn't leave her left him terrified for _her_ sake. Therefore he couldn't let her destroy the entrance. He was going to leave...and he was going to take her with him. The request made Toriel gasp.

"My child...I...I can't come with you..." She gazed down at him, feeling her resolve breaking apart upon seeing his pleading eyes. "And just as much...I can't allow you to leave. The monsters outside...they're not as harmless as the monsters here. You're a human. If they'll see you...they'll kill you, and then take your soul to...to Asgore. Just like they did the others before you. I tried to keep them safe here...but they all wanted to leave. One after another, they leave, and they die. I don't want that to happen to you, my child...I don't think I'll be able to handle it." Frisk tells her that this is exactly why she should come with you. She was strong, very strong. She could protect you on your journey, and hopefully she'll learn to forgive a certain someone in her life. Because holding grudges doesn't suit her character at all, even if it is justified. Grudges that take time to grow can, and will turn into something nastier. But above all, you didn't want her to be alone down here any longer. Toriel felt herself tearing up. "Why...why must you make this so difficult...?"

Frisk tells her that sometimes one must take a harsh path in order to achieve true, genuine happiness. That was something she herself told him when he began living with her before. It was the main reason why he reluctantly reset the timeline once again, but he was careful not to tell her that part, not right now. He wanted her to be happy, and he feels that this was the way to do it. He understood her reluctance, and was more than willing to help her get through it.

He would exceed her expectations.

Rescue her from her loneliness.

Help her face her fears.

And he'll do it all earlier than usual. He needs her just as much as she needs him. And her love for him has always been mutual. It's why he was adamant on taking her with him outside the Ruins. When she sees this **DETERMINATION** within him, she could only sigh in defeat.

"Oh dear...you're going to wear this old lady out with how stubborn you are." Toriel said, her smile finally returning. Frisk smiles back and reassures her that she's looks very young and beautiful, and that she shouldn't put herself down like that. Toriel giggled and petted the crown of his head. "My, you're quite the sweet talker, are you?" She looked around her house for a little bit, feeling odd about actually leaving it behind. She's been down here for so long that she didn't think that she'd ever leave. But deep down, she was glad Frisk convinced her to do so. "I just...need a moment to pack our necessities. I'm not as adventurous as I used to be, nor am I adventurous as you. So I'd rather be a bit more prepared before we depart. Fair enough?" Frisk nodded in understanding. "Very good. Now be a dear and get cleaned up. You're quite a smelly boy at the moment." Finding amusement in his pouty face responding to her observation, the mother gently shooed the boy away so he could get cleaned up. In the meantime, she would walk over to her own room so she could get ready. But before anything, she picked up a picture frame:

A picture of herself, Asgore, Asriel, and Chara. All we're smiling. Well, almost. Chara had a sort of neutral face going on. Emotionless, but not in the negative sense. She never did understand that biy very well. She thought back to what Frisk said about being truly happy. Her eyes then focused on Asgore's face in the picture, and she lowered her eyes.

"You made such a monumental mistake that has such long-lasting consequences. And for that I can't help but hate you. However...Frisk said that holding this grudge will not make me happy, and despite how difficult it might be...I need to let it go." She sighed softly, as she lowered the picture frame and began packing for real this time.

"No matter how much I may hate you now...the least I can do is attempt reconciliation. For Frisk's sake..."

 **(Meanwhile)**

"For crying out loud! What the heck is going on back there?!" Flowey shouted in agitation, as he stood on the outside of the ruins. He deeply hated the snow, it's far too cold for him to be standing in it all day. But no matter how long he waited for Frisk to come out he never did. The only thing he could guess was that he was keeping closer to Toriel this time around. He considered that notion to be utterly cowardly of him. "He's so afraid that he'll actually just stay in the Ruins for then rest of his life this time? Then how am I supposed to get those human souls, dammit!?" Flowey shook his head trying to regain his senses. "Alright, calm down, Flowey. Nothing has changed, unfortunately. Eventually he'll have to come out, and I'll be there to 'greet' him again."

He lowered his head slightly as he thought about the events that transpired. "Still...it's strange. This time the human actually defending me when Toriel tried to attack me. I don't know what he was trying to prove with that sort of stunt...not that it really matters anyway. And yet...it feels like he knows something that I don't. Something I can't predict...no...not possible. I've seen every outcome, every possible method of progressing. There's no way that small human is able to pull one over me!" Flowey grinned evilly. "He will learn one way or another. Its kill or be killed! Heheheheheh-!"

 _"You're right about that. In this world...it's killed or be killed."_

Flowey's eyes widened and he looked around frantically for the source of the voice. "Where are you?! Don't try and sneak up on me! Show yourself!"

 _"I'm right here, you stupid mean flower."_

"Who do you think you-!" Flowey turned, ready to give the owner of the voice a piece of his mind. But he froze right on the spot. Right in front of him lie someone he shouldn't be seeing.

Asriel. He was very faded, almost like a ghost. But he was definitely there. And it was freaking Flowey out. Asriel shouldn't be here. This was impossible! This was...something new. And very worrying for him.

 _"In this world, it's kill or be killed."_ Asriel repeated. Then he stepped forward in an act of defiance towards the flower's disbelief. _"And I'm getting sick of it!"_

* * *

 **Hey look, Asriel is here...wait...Asriel is here...WHAT?! WHY?! HOW?!**

 **Sans: you're not gonna answer right now, so why ask the questions?**

 **Me: I was trying to be to be dramatic...I'm not very good at it.**

 **Sans: don't beat yourself up for it, pal. we know you're not a pro writer and everyone makes mistakes. look what ya did! you left a lot of us _hangin'_ with that one. **

**Me: Please don't tell me you're making puns out of cliffhangers.**

 **Sans: jeez, _hang in there,_ will ya ben? you'll be continuing soon enough. now if you'll excuse me, i'll be _jamin'_ on some tunes until you get the next chapter up, because that's when i tag back in. and i got some pretty important decisions to make.**

 **Me: You do that...and stop making puns off my name!**

 **Sans: ayyyyy!**


	3. Let The Changes Begin!

**Toriel: (Face buried in hands, blushing hard as I pat her back) Goodness gracious...**

 **Sans: tori? what's the matter?**

 **Me: She was browsing, man.**

 **Sans: yeah? so?**

 **Me: She typed in her name and went to images. Guess what happened next?**

 **Sans: *Sweatdrop* oh...**

 **Toriel: I honestly don't know whether to be flattered because they think I'm attractive...or bothered by how far they take it. I didn't think so many people would see me in that kind of light...especially the more explicit ones...goodness...**

 **Sans: welcome to the internet, tori. it can be sunshine and rainbows of pure goodness...**

 **Frisk holds out his hand, smiling. He offers you a hand of friendship, filled with DETERMINATION.**

 **Sans: or dark, disturbing, maybe even evil...**

 **Flowey: I WILL DESTROY ALL OF Y-**

 **Sans: hell, even ben isn't completely immune to it. but at least he's clear about his reasons.**

 **Me: *blushes hard* W-Well...sure I kinda gave Tori...yeah...but not for reasons like THAT. Ya know when you're first born, you're crying for a little bit, and when your mom embraces you for the first time and you instantly feel safe and loved, then you calm down, and the feeling of her heartbeat kinda puts you to sleep...that kind of reason. I DO imagine Toriel looking more feminine than she does in the game, sure. But not to the extreme levels seen on the internet. You'll never see that from me in the story, fellow readers. Promise. I love and respect Goat Mom too much.**

 **Toriel: *Smiles and hugs Ben* I appreciate your honesty, Ben.**

 **Me: Yep. I'll understand if some people don't agree with me. I also anticipate some backlash...I'll endure it. I'm strong enough!**

 **...*shyly munches on pie...***

 **Now where was I...oh yeah! Asriel. Lets get to it!**

 **Warning: This chapter contains terrible knock-knock jokes. You've been warned.**

* * *

There he was. Asriel Dremurr was standing before him, when that shouldn't even be remotely possible. Flowey was supposed to be the reincarnation of Asriel Dremurr, though soulless and emotionless. As well as being extremely nihilistic and cynical. So he was met with immense confusion when he sees that Asriel could be seen, although faded enough to not be entirely noticeable. And he had every emotion that Flowey thought he lost.

...Needless to say that Flowey was incredibly and justifyingly freaked out by the turn of events. The many times he's reset, he's seen all the outcomes. But first the human and now this...

The plant violently shook his head and glared at what he hoped to be his imagination. "Don't mess with me, kid! Who the hell are you?!"

 _"You're not very nice. But sense you're technically me...no. You're NOT me. You and I, we're two separate entities entirely. I'm nothing like you and you're nothing like me, on all counts. The only thing we share is a body."_

Flowey took the time to calm down, as he rolled his eyes. "Well congrats for figuring that out, genius! But you STILL haven't told me how you're here when you shouldn't be. Everything was reset again, everything was undone. So...how are you here? Even if you're only a faded image?"

Asriel sighed as he stared at his faded paw with lowered eyes. Then he clenched it tightly and stared back at Flowey. _"I'm here...because I want a straight answer. And the only one who can give me a straight answer is the one person who would be my friend. I need to know...if he were ever my friend at all. I need to know...if he even thought of me as his brother. The others told me his true nature. They said he was pure untamed evil...that he was never good to begin with. I knew he wasn't the best person to hang around with, but..."_ Asriel shook his head. _"The truth. That's all I want. And I want to hear it from the source. I want to hear the truth from Chara's mouth!"_

"Truth? What good will _'knowing the truth'_ do you, huh?" Flowey scoffed at Asriel's claim. "And what if you do not find comfort in knowing said 'truth?' If the truth can bring you nothing but more pain, why should you have to confront it?"

 _"I prefer knowing the harsh truth over living a happy lie!"_ Asriel glared at Flowey angrily, referencing Alphys's emotions during her own personal crisis. _"I never really could see how I was during my time as a Flowey. But now that I see it from the outside, I can see that I did not turn out so well at all. I turned into a nihilistic fake-smiling golden flower! But I'm not going to let you ruin our final attempt to save everything! Frisk needs to do what he needs to do without having your interference messing him up! I'm going to help him achieve the true happy ending that everyone else deserves!"_

Flowey's eyes widened as he felt his head begin to ache horribly, and his vines were doing their best to try and block out the pain, and was unable to figure out the cause. Though he watched as Asriel closed his eyes and began disappearing. Starting from his feet, and slowly sliding upwards. "W-W-What is this?! What are you doing you blasted imitation?!"

 _"I'm taking over this flower body!"_ Asriel stated confidently as he disappeared completely, from Flowey's eyes.

"What is he...!?" Flowey grunted, his eyes closing tightly from the splitting headache.

 **(Mindscape)**

Flowey reopened his eyes to see that he's surrounded by buttercups and golden flowers, as far as the eye can see. The skies were blue, the wind was a gentle, smooth breeze, and the entire area was just filled with a sense of calmness and stability.

...Flowey hated it.

"Where are we?" He asked irritably to Asriel, who was no longer faded and was in full form. He was staring at Flowey, his eyes still full of defiance and yet also calm. The reason why...

"This is my special place, in the deepest corners of my mind. Before I met Chara, whenever I had a bad day, I would just close my eyes and come here. Here, nothing can hurt me. I just coexist alongside everything here. It's how I used to relax. It also...represents my desire for peace." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I'm not always alone here, though. I sometimes imagined Mom and Dad being here with me. And when I met Chara, he began showing up here too. Though he's always just sitting on that hill over there, pondering stuff." Asriel shrugged. "It's pretty weird."

"Yeah yeah, real nice. You haven't explained who you are and why you-" Flowey stopped speaking for a moment. Then he smiled his sinister smile again. "Hahahahaha...I get it now. You're the Asriel from the True Pacifist Run, are you? That's the only explanation I can gather from this. I'm honestly impressed that you were able to keep your memories intact and then manifest them into this timeline. Genuinely curious here...how'd you do it?"

"... **Determination**. Someone like me...I don't know." Asriel raised his law and stared at it with lowered eyes. "Alphys said that **determination** can break monsters down and cause them to melt, because their bodies can't handle it for long. Undyne was able to create her own, but in different time lines, she didn't survive it. But me...for some reason it didn't make me melt." He clenched his fist slightly. "I don't know if it's because technically, I still don't have a soul...or if it's something else entirely...the only thing I know for sure is that I kept all of my memories, but not my physical form. There has to be a reason for that, right...?"

"...That is pretty strange. Your **Determination** is pretty powerful...too powerful." Flowey narrowed his eyes. "It's almost as strong as that welp of a human-"

"Frisk."

"...what?"

"His name is Frisk, Flowey. You don't get to call him outside his name. You tried to kill him." Asriel said strongly.

"Wha...are you serious? Do you realize just how hypocritcal you're being? You tried to do the same thing on your route, didn't you?!"

"I did. And I felt really bad about it afterwards. The differeance between us is that you haven't learned your lesson. Not like me." Asriel shrugged. "So I'm just gonna keep you here until you mellow out. Cool off a bit."

"Oh haha. _Cool off._ Because we're in Snowdin. You're jokes are just as suckish as the stupid skeleton comedian's."

"Come on, Flowey! Don't hate on San's skele _puns_. I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of them...because I think mine are better~" Asriel placed his paws on his hips, feeling confident in his words.

"...I'm beginning to hate this still rather interesting change..." Flowey muttered. "Wait..you said you were gonna keep me here, did you? Hahahaha...and just how do you expect to restrain me in this overly flowery realm?"

"You're just a different me housing most of my negative thoughts. The rest of my head is still mine, dude." Asriel shrugged. "Asriel's head, Asriel's rules. And you're not Asriel...you're Flowey right now. Flowey the Flower. And I'm _grounding_ you here until I can trust you not to be so...I dunno...mean."

"Grounding? Oh God the terrible puns really are contagious..."

"Don't be so down in the dumps. I gotta leave now, so you'd better behave yourself while in my head."

"Considering how you're clever enough to make this strange place entirely on your own, I have no significant influence on it. So I guess I really am under your strict jurisdiction, huh?"

"Seems like it. But I'm not a totally strict person, Flowey. I make sure guests feel welcome." Asriel smiles. Frisk didn't give up on Flowey. I'm not giving up on Flowey, either. Because of the time you'll spend here to help you relax, sooner or later you'll _grow_ to like me." He calmed down and waved. "Peace!" With that's he vanished from the mindscape entirely, leaving Flowey alone with the sea of buttercups.

"I've officially come to regret being interested in this change." Flowey mumbled. "Apparently this is my life now...great." A normal buttercup began swaying a bit in front of him, he merely glared. "What are YOU looking at?"

 **(Real World)**

It was a bit of a challenge at first. The flower eventually raised it's head back up and looked around to see if anyone was around. No one was around, no one could attack them, and they could still feel...

Asriel Possession: Success!

"Oh wow, I actually did it! I didn't really think it would work!" Asriel cheered, his face appearing on the flower's face now. "Hm...but I can't really use my actual face or voice if I find myself talking to Mom. Because she'll be stuck to Frisk at all times if he's serious about mixing things up a bit. Plus Flowey attempted to kill him, that won't help very much. Now how do I do that face change and voice change thing again...? Oh yeah!" His face changed to how Flowey usually looked, and he grinned. "Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower! Let's be friends!"

 _"I don't talk like that you ignorant buffoon!"_ Flowey shouted from inside Asriel's mindscape. It seems that their roles have been reversed due to the Asriel who still has emotions, managed take control of the whole body.

"You do when you're trying to trick people. I'm not trying to trick people. I'm just gonna be nice. That's right, I'm gonna ruin your bad flower cred~"

 _"You actually said bad flower cred...PLEASE tell me you didn't just say that..."_

"Okay, I'd better get moving! Soooo...how do I do that moving underground thing again...? I think I can figure this out." Asriel twisted around a bit, trying to regain a feel on being a flower that can move underground. "I just gotta...ahah! There we go!" Asriel managed to dig underground and move forward...his head ran straight into a tree. He groaned as he popped back out and used leafy arms to run the sore spot. "Owie! Hah...okay...it looks like I'm gonna have to take some time to readjust to this stuff."

 _"Or you can give control back to ME. I'm a better navigator than you on so many levels, that it'll be easy for me."_

"Hm...nah. I got this. Eventually I'll learn how to do this better soon enough." Asriel said positively and tried to dig under again. He then ran into yet under tree, popped out no of the ground and rubbed his sore head again. "OW! Man...this is hard."

 _"...There's no way I used to be this stupid..."_ Flowey comically deadpanned.

 **(Inside The Ruins)**

"Alright now, my child. Please try not to be so difficult about this." Toriel said as she had a gentle yet firm hold on Frisk, who was squirming just slightly. "Snowdin is a very cold part of the Underground, so I need to be as warm as you possibly can before we head out." She tightened the purple scarf around him, stepped back and smiled. "There. You're perfectly prepared now."

Frisk...was absolutely covered in most of the warm winter clothes Toriel had at her disposal that fit him perfectly. The problem was that his mobility was seriously restrained by all of it, and he barely could see out the fuzziness of the hood of one of the jackets. When he tried to moved he balance himself out, that didn't end very well, and he tripped and was about to fall. Toriel caught him before he could touch the ground.

"Whoops! You must be more careful, my child. You almost fell and hurt yourself." Frisk looked up at her and pouted adorably. "Come now, my child. Don't look at me that way. I only wanted to keep you warm." Frisk turned around and huffed. There was a difference between being in warm clothes and being a child-sized burrito. "A burrito? I think you're exaggerating a bit, aren't you?" His mind didn't change, and she chuckled. "Okay, fine. We'll lighten the load a little...I'll remove one jacket." Frisk just looked at her blankly for a while. "What? That seems fair enough. One jacket out of four." Frisk tells Toriel that he's pretty sure that she's preparing him as if there were a blizzard going on. "...There might me a blizzard going on. Who really knows? Snowdin can have unpredictable snow storms, you know." Frisk folded his arms at this point. Toriel sighed. "Very well. One jacket, a pair of gloves, a hat, and a warm scarf. But if it's much colder than that attire will deflect, all of the jackets go back on. Will that suffice?" He nodded to this compromise, and she smiled. "Glad to see we were able to overcome that impasse."

Toriel looked over to see everything she had packed so far. The many bags she had carried much of the personal items she kept in the house. She made sure her snail pie and butterscotch-cinnamon pie were carefully and properly wrapped up so that they wouldn't go bad while they traveled. She could always make more, anyway. She has a pretty useful use of her pyrokinetic powers. She carried them in slightly large fire bubbles that didn't burn anything, and her concentration was also well-balanced. These showed her mastery over her powers. Frisk told her how cool she was. The praise made her blush.

With most of their things well-packed and ready, they were finally ready to move out of the home. Toriel understandably took a while to get all of her stuff ready before she left. Being down here for a long time, it was a bit difficult to force herself to leave in order to return to the outside. She's always told herself that this was the best way to go about things, due to the circumstances. But through Frisk's insistence, she can't afford to think like that anymore. If there was going to be any positice change, she'll have to go out and do it herself. Her husband is much more incompetent than one would realize. And it looks like she'll have to finally straighten him out before he made things worse. How?

Frisk is the latest human to fall down here. Asgore will want him dead.

They'll have to get past Toriel first. And she can get violently protective REALLY hard and VERY fast. Pacifist or not.

Toriel nodded. "Very well. We are ready to depart at last." Frisk nodded as she held his hand and exited her house, making sure everything was locked tight and secure. Whether she comes back here or not, she wants to be sure that nothing else inside is touched. The mother-child duo take one last look at the house before turning around and moving forward.

They reached the exit of the Ruins in a short amount of time,.where Toriel was about to open the door...

"knock knock."

Toriel's eyes widened. This was such...excellent timing! Frisk secretly and wholeheartedly agreed. It looks like they'll be meeting earlier than they thought! The former queen giggled and pressed her ear against the door.

"Who's there?"

"snow."

"Snow who?"

"there's a bit of a crack visable from this side, i hope ya didn't get _snowdin."_

 _"_ Hehehehehe!" Toriel snickered, and laughter was heard on the other side as well. She called down and continued. "Knock knock."

"who's there?"

"Butter."

"Butter who?"

"I have butterscotch pie properly wrapped up and packed. I'll be feeling much _butter_ when I finally meet you face to face." Even more laughter from both sides. Frisk also laughed a little.

"we'll finally be seeing one another face to face, huh? well...knock knock."

"Who's there?"

"face."

"Face who?"

"i can't really _face_ you, because ya didn't open the door."

Toriel was stuck in an utter laughing fit for the next couple minutes before she could calm down. These terrible puns with the mysterious door person always cheered her up during rather serious times. "Hah...that lifted my spirits quite a bit. I needed a good laugh, anyhow."

"happy i could help. so, are ya gonna come out of there, or...?"

"O-Oh. Right. Of course." Toriel turned to Frisk, placing any other luggage in safe pyrokinetic bubbles, and held her arms out to him. "Come now, my child." He raised an eyebrow at her. "The snow might be too high for you to walk through. Your feet and legs might get frostbite." He pouted at this explanation, but decided to cut her a break since he could see her eyes were secretly pleading for it. He held out his rather small arms out to her, allowing her to pick him up and he hung onto her. Toriel then gathered the courage to open the door and step out for the first time to meet the outside world and the one who shared knock knock jokes with her for so long.

Sans stood outside the entrance wearing his trademark grin and a rather casual wave. "hey."

"Hello there. You're the one who's been sharing knock-knock jokes with me? It's very nice to meet you at last." Toriel smiled, not really bothered by the fact that he's a living skeleton. "What's your name, friend?~"

"the name's sans. as in it's _sansational_ to meet you, miss..."

"And my name is Toriel." she responded, giggling again.

"ah yeah, toriel. tori. pleased to make your acquaintance. and, uh...who's the little critter in your arms, there?" Sans asked, eyes turning to Frisk. Frisk was a little nervous that Sans would not remember him. But then he saw the quick flash of cyan from the skeleton's left eye, it copied the action of am enforced wink. It was the main signal that his memories made it through the reset. Or that again, is just paying VERY good attention to detail. And Toriel coming out much earlier than usual was enough for Sans to know that Frisk made it.

"Oh! This is Frisk. He's a human..." she hugged Frisk tighter, protectively. "You..."

"i'm not gonna hurt him. ya said to protect and look after any human that comes through this door. you look like you can take care of yourself, so worrying about you isn't very necessary" Sans shrugged. "the kid passed through the doors. i'm now obligated to watch over him."

"Wow...you're pretty honorable."

"yeah...i really hate to make promises." He looked slowly towards Frisk. "but i hate breaking the ones i _do_ make even more. especially when they're to good people. so...consider me the kid's guardian skeleton."

"Oh! I feel a bit more at ease to this...just a bit." Sans noticed the flame bubbles that were safely carrying the luggage they brought. He honestly forgot she could do that. And it looks like they were in need of a Dimensional Box. Which also requires Alphys upgrading their phones...

 _that's right...gotta remember to pass by her lab soon._

"ya have nothing to worry about, you'll be just fine. you two just be pals and follow me. and it's a good thing you brought some warm clothes. it gets a bit chilly later on."

Toriel snickered. "Don't you mean... _bone-chilling?_ "

"ha! nice."

There was a low rumbling heard from the ground, and the trio looked towards the ground in confusion. Out of nowhere 'Flowey' emerged from the ground, sighing in exhaustion. "Okay...alright...I may have finally gotten this burrowing thing down. Now maybe I can-"

"You again?" Toriel said quietly. 'Flowey' paled when she manifested three fireballs above her head without lifting a finger.

"W-W-W-Wait! Wait wait wait!" 'Flowey' shouted in a panic, waving his leaves in front of him food frantically. "I come in peace, I swear!" 'Flowey' waited anxiously as Toriel glared at him for any signs of deceit. The fireballs disappeared after a full silent minute, and he groaned in relief, almost falling on his face. _That was close...Mom is scary..._

"What do you want then? Surely you're not trying to harm Frisk again, are you?"

"No, of course not! That was...a misunderstanding. He fell out of nowhere and I thought it was a sign of attack, so I was trying to defend myself!" If Sans had a nose, he'd be pinching it right now. Asriel was a terrible lier when under pressure. And in general. "So of course I want to apologize for the misunderstanding, see if I can make it up to you, and hope that we can be friends...?"

Frisk tugged lightly on Toriel's robes and looked up at her with pleading eyes while pointing at 'Flowey'. "Really? Are you sure, my child?" He nodded rapidly at her, and she smiled. "Very well. I suppose he can accompany us if you think he's trustworthy." Frisk reached into his bag and pulled out a flower pot. "Hm? A flower pot? You have means to carry him around, already? I was thinking you needed it for when you find a flower to pick for yourself. But I didn't expect it to be in this kind of manner."

Frisk smiled as carefully lifted 'Flowey' out from the ground, doing his best to avoid cutting any large roots, cause that definitely would have been painful. He placed him in the pot and filled it with soil that wasn't effected by the cold of the snow. After smoothly patting it and and making sure 'Flowey' was comfortable, Frisk admired his handy work. The procedure was quick, it was painless, and it was clean.

Asgore must have been responsible for this before the reset. The big guy loves gardening.

"Wow! This is very nice of you. Thanks Frisk!" He stretched out a bit, a bright smile on his face. "I feel so snuggled by this soil...it feels great!"

"yeah, that's nice. listen, tori and frisk. mind moving on without us for a bit? me and the plant have to talk privately. just for a sec." the duo looked at him strangely, before trusting him and moving forward on the path. When they were gone, Sans turned towards 'Flowey' with a semi-seriois expression. It was a bit off because of his constant smiling. "how'd ha do it, kid?"

'Flowey's' face suddenly shifted to Asriel's, and he nodded. "I kept all of my memories even after the reset. And more weirdly than that, I can still feel all of my emotions. I don't know how I did it, but I did."

Sans sighed a bit, then his eyes went hollow. And swiftly, his left eye began glowing cyan again. Through this eye, he saw the figure of Flowey, and the ghostly manifestation of Asriel standing behind him. "well, that's actually pretty interesting. your **determination** is so strong that it allowed your memories and emotions to persist after the true reset, even without your physical body. and because your actual body isn't really physical right now, your body doesn't melt. not only did you luck out on that, you were able to overcome the weed's control because of this, right?'

"That's right. Though I didn't really think about it as hard as you did."

"but i gotta wonder...where did your **determination** come from?" Asriel lowered, his head slightly to avoid looking the skeleton in the eye. "ah. it ain't something you wanna tell me. i'm fine with that for the moment. i'm not that much into serious interrogation, anyway." With that, Sans turned around and began walking, picking up the Flower pot with his bony hand. "ya sure about this, kid? will you be able to endure it? your mom is within arms reach of her and you can feel again...but at the moment, you don't have your own body to hug her with. More than that...do you want to reveal who you really are?"

Asriel shook his head almost immediately. "No. Just...let's keep Mom in the dark, for now. It'll only hurt her more, especially after what just happened. It'll be both hurtful and awkward that she attacked her own son and didn't know it...not that I didn't deserve it."

Sans didn't miss the tone of self-hatred, even if it was only for a second. "kid, that's not what i-"

"Sans. Please. Don't say anything about my real idenity to her. As far as she knows, I'm still dead. She wouldn't want to see my face on a flower. And then she'll figure out it was Alphys's fault. I don't want her getting into more trouble than she already might be in, either."

Sans sighed. Even though the thought of redeeming himself was keeping him going, it was clear that Asriel still hated his own guts because of his actions as Flowey in many other time lines. Even restraining the negative influence within his psyche seems like a minor success to the boy. He would get better, he was sure about that. But right now...

"...listen kid. I got talk to my brother for a sec. tell tori and frisk that i'll back." He set the flower pot down and walked in another direction.

"Wait Sans! What do I-" He had already vanished. Asriel sighed. "Aw man..." he switched back to his 'Flowey' face and began hopping after Toriel and Frisk.

 **(Papyrus and Sans House)**

"alrighty. home sweet home." Sans looked around his room, nostalgia setting in. "i should really clean my room...meh, i'll do it later."

"SANS! SANS ARE YOU IN THERE?!"

Ah. There's the little brother now. "yeah, I'm here, bro."

Papyrus busted through the door(Sans hasn't really tried to stop him from doing that) and stared at Sans strongly. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, SANS?! I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR YOU FOR EXACTLY THIRTY-FIVE MINUTES!" Pause..."THIRTY-SIX MINUTES!"

"eh...sorry bro. i had to check up on something for a little bit. nothing too serious or anything like that."

"NOTHING TOO SERIOUS? OF COURSE THIS IS SERIOUS! YOU. HAVEN'T. RECALIBRATED. YOUR. PUZZLES!"

"oh yeah...i forgot."

"SANS YOU LAZYBONES! HOW ARE YOU EVER GOING TO IMPROVE YOURSELF IF YOU DO NOT PUT FORTH THE EFFORT?"

...

...

...

"...SANS?" His elder brother suddenly went silent, and his nagging face turned into one of concern.

Sans was staring downward, his eyes turned hollow, and he went quiet for the longest of times. He'd only been talking to Papyrus for several seconds and he already struck a nerve on him...even if he was unaware of it.

Lazybones...improve himself...putting forth the effort...

 _i like to take it easy, you know? ... that's a joke. this is what happens when people like me take it easy._

 _to be blunt, it makes it kind of hard to give it my all. or is that just a poor excuse for being lazy? hell if i know. all i know is, seeing what comes next, i can't afford not to care anymore._

Sans had given up on changing things a long time ago. And because of that, he had to sit through those two lines constantly, and they're both existent because two of the absolute worst routes of them all. The Underground in total chaos, or the world being wiped out. Sans didn't do anything for the longest time, because he's lost the will to try and alter anything. The worst began to happen because he didn't do anything about it. His promise to Toriel kept him awfully restrained because he didn't want to break it until he literally had no other choice. On the other hand...now he's fully aware that Frisk and Chara are two separate people. He's obligated to protect Frisk as his promise inquired...and Chara was an outside force of pure evil. Which means he'll no longer have to hold back in hopes of a last-ditch change of heart.

But in order for that to happen...he'll have to actively begin to change things for the better. And the first step was to make himself stronger. Because in case of a rather harsh situation, he won't be of much use if he goes down in one shot. He can only dodge so many times before he finally exhausts himself.

His choice was made. He **can** afford to care now. He was not wasting this chance to actually make a difference.

"hey, bro. once we're done patrolling and sentry-ing and stuff like that...how about you and i train together? if you're gonna be in the royal guard, and if i'm to be a more cspsble sentry, we both gotta up our game, right?"

Papyrus could hardly believe what he was hearing. Sans was asking if the two could TRAIN tigether after work?! Work he barely did anyhow?! Sure he still has his lazy tone. But somehow...Papyrus could feel it. Sans really meant it.

"R-REALLY, BROTHER? YOU WOULD LIKE US TO TRAIN TOGETHER? WOWIE! THIS IS GREAT! SURE YOU STILL SOUND LIKE A LAZYBONES, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE MY WORDS ARE FINALLY GETTING TO YOU! IT'S DEFINITELY A START!" Cue dynamic pose, accompanied by his flowing scarf in the wind...because of Sans fan. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AS THE FUTURE MEMBER OF THE RIYAL GUARD, AND YOUR BELOVED BROTHER, I AGREE TO TRAIN WITH YOU FOR AS LONG AS YOU NEED. MAYBE THROUGH THIS YOU'LL ACTUALLY STOP BEING SUCH A LAZYBONES! WE HAVE A TON OF WORK TO DO!"

"we sure do, bro." Sans smirked. " a skele _ton._ "

Twitch.

"SAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNSSSSSS! WHY MUST YOU RUIN THIS FOR ME?!"

"aaaayyyyy~"

"BAH! WHATEVER! FIRST PART OF YOUR TRAINING, RUNNING TO MY PUZZLES! MAYBE SOMEONE WILL FINALLY COME ACROSS THEM AND SOLVE THEM WITH ME! MAKE NEW FRIENDS!" Papyrus ran off, cackling gleefully. "NYEH HEH HEH HEH!" Pause..."HEH!"

Sans stuck his hands in his pockets and walked out of his room, one thought running through his head. He knows full well that he cannot defeat Chara. However, he _can_ buy much more time so that Frisk can find someone who _could._ Until then, he would take the time to make himself stronger and also to make sure Frisk, Toriel, and Asriel can progress safely.

...plus he'll have some brotherly bonding time with Papyrus. And maybe...just _maybe_ he can unlock his true potential, it's clearly there waiting to be unlocked. And it'll pay off in the long run, he was sure of it.

That's two bonuses he had absolutely no problem with.

* * *

 **Sans: well look at that. i'm actually about to get off my ass and do something.**

 **Me: Trust me, you're gonna need this. As will Papyrus.**

 **Sans: hey. any chance i can help my bro is a chance and willing to take.**

 **Me: *smiles* You are an awesome bro to your bro, Sans.**

 **Sans: i try my best to look after my _brobone._ ask the readers, they'll agree with me.**

 **Me:...(facepalm) ah jeez...why ya gotta do this to me, Sans?**

 **Sans: because you and have something in common that we can bond over, ben. we really like ketchup. and you also put it on your spaghetti, so that's something from both me and paps.**

 **Me: ...Yeah I do. Sue me.**

 **Sorry if this felt slow or anything along those lines. Sometimes I kinda mess up the build up. Ah well. Until next-**

 ** _"Next chapter...you'll get a glimpse..._**

 ** _...It's me."_**

 **Me: *Pales* Even the fourth wall can't keep him away... Nopenopenope! Nnnnnnnnoooooope! I'm out! Not dealing with him! He shouldn't even be here right now! NOPE! (Leaves)**


	4. Snowdin and Skelebros

**Toriel: In order to prove yourself, you must-**

 **Me: *hug***

 **Toriel: You must...um...**

 **Me: *hug***

 **Toriel: *Sweatdrop* You're not going to let go of me, are you?**

 **Me: Nope. :D**

 **Frisk runs up to Toriel and also hugs her. Small child hugged her leg.**

 **Toriel: *sigh* Not you too, my child...okay then. *scoops both of us and returns our hugs. We're both happy about this***

 **Sans: you're soft, ya know that?**

 **Me: She is! She's also cute and cuddly! Unlike you...**

 **Sans: oof! my heart! it hurts from indirect insult!**

 **Me: W-wait! Sans I'm sorry, I just...*realization* Wait just a darn diddly minute...**

 **Sans: hehehehehe...**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

"Well then, I guess you were right after all, Frisk. It isn't as cold as I thought it would be." Toriel observed, still carrying the small human in her arms. With a small amount of difficulty, 'Flowey' managed to catch up with the both of them, and informed them that Sans had something not do and he said that he would return soon. Toriel was a bit visibly upset by this because she was beginning to enjoy his company and his rather bad puns. Frisk was just glad that Sans was still aware of their mission. 'Flowey' was glad that Toriel didn't burn him alive. That not only would have hurt horribly, but it might have caused many unnecessary problems to crop up.

 _"Great going, you were able to somehow make this work. Wonder how long that charade is going to last?"_ Flowey taunted quietly from within his mind. _"While you're wondering, can you do something about this scenery already. I don't want to be constantly surrounded by buttercups, regardless of how...good-looking they all MAY look...nope, don't want this. Change it!"_

 _Hmmm...no thanks. That's my place, you're going to learn to like it..and you're going to be mostly calm and understanding. That'll probably take a while...so you'll be there for a whole too."_ Asriel responded quietly, ignoring Flowey's protests afterwards. Then he flinched and cut off their mental connection when the plant began getting a bit aggressive with his words. _S_ _heesh. That wasn't very nice or clean at all._

"yo." Sans appeared from behind a tree and waved nonchantly. "hey there. you lot seem to be making your ways around just fine."

"Sans? Where were you? You just up and vanished for a couple moments, like what Flowey told me. And without warning." Toriel asked.

"sorry about that. i just had to get things arranged with my bro."

"Oh! You told me about your brother at one time. You told me his name was Papyrus?"

"that's the guy. awesome guy, totally silly, light of my life, stuck like that." Sans shrugged. Though both Frisk and 'Flowey' couldn't help but flinch slightly at the 'light of my life' part. Toriel, at the moment, had no idea just how serious he was about that due to him saying it so casually. "and he's...well...he's a human-hunting _fanatic._ hey...frisk is a human, isn't he...?"

Toriel instinctively hugged Frisk tightly as a response. "Surely you don't mean to...?"

"woah woah _,_ tori. _chillax. cool down_ the fiery flames that is your 'protective mother' mode." Sans' puns did help her relax a little, evident by her soft laughter. "i did say that my bro is a human-hunter. buuuuut...well...uh...he doesn't really have the nature for it. you see, he's been down in the dumps for some time, and i'm hoping that seeing frisk will be just the thing he needs to lift his spirits. you don't have to worry about him. he's not dangerous, no matter how hard he tries to be. in fact, he's relatively harmless." Sans looked on ahead of them. "he should be up ahead, i think. it'd make him pretty happy if he sees a human for the first time. who knows, maybe you lot can be friends by the end of it." He turned back around. "welp, i'll be up ahead." he walked past them, in the opposote direction.

"But Sans, isn't it...?" Toriel started, turning around. The skeleton was nowhere to be seen, and it surprised her. "Where did he go...? How does he do that? Teleportation magic, maybe?"

"Somewhere along those lines." 'Flowey' said. "Anyway, let's not waste too much time. Let's go meet this Papyrus fellow."

Truth be told, Asriel was more than just interested in meeting Frisk's friends personally for the first time, even if he's not in his own form right now. He wanted to see just how closely Frisk had bonded with each and every one of them for himself, no matter how different it was for this time. He had felt how deeply they cared about him when he absorbed their souls in a previous timeline...now he has a chance to see how those emotions came about.

He had a feeling that witnessing things like this would be very important later on.

The trio moved onward along the path that Sans pointed out to them. Frisk spotted a very familiar figure on the side of the road. Snowdrake. Frisk felt compelled to help. He lightly pulled on Toriel's robe and pointed at Snowdrake. She sees the bird for herself, and worry graced her features. But nonetheless, she set Frisk down so he could approach the avian directly.

"Gotta work on my material...gotta work on my material..." Snowdrake said to himself, oacing the snowy ground back and forth. When he spotted Frisk, one of his thoughts were, 'Human! That's a human! Don't were need a human soul?!' But his priorities, as a teen, were elsewhere. "Hey buddy! Do yah mind if I get your take my jokes? I just...I mean...look, can yah just do this for me?" Frisk nodded wholeheartedly, and he motioned for Toriel and Flowey to come closer. "R-Really? Okay! U-um...well..."

Frisk tells Snowdrake to calm down and take his time. He nods as he noticed his constant sweating fron the nervousness building within him.

"Ah geez...this isn't the time for me to be getting the _cold shoulder._ " To his surprise, Toriel was the first to laugh softly, while Flowey and Frisk joined in afterwards. "H-Hey! I got your attention! I hope you don't _'snow' flake_ out on me."

"Snrk! Oh my goodness..." Toriel covered her mouth as her laughter gets louder. Frisk was very glad he managed to get her out here. Helping Snowdrake was much easier now. He could tell because the bird was beaming with growing confidence, complete with a smile.

"Are you alright, lady? _Chill out,_ okay?" He sees his puns having the most effect on her. "Hey, you guys hungry? I'll share one of my favorite meals with ya!"

"And what...meal...would that be...?"

"Macaroni and _freeze!_ "

"Pfffffft hahahahaha!" At this point, Toriel was having a difficult time breathing with how hard she was laughing, holding her sides and all. The entire time, Snowdrake was beaming, on the outside, and inside.

 _They...they like them! They really like my jokes! Especially the tall lady! Haha, take that, Dad! People DO think I'm funny!_

"D...dear me...you are an absolute master in the art of cold-based puns...that's amazing." Toriel spoke after finally catching her breath.

Snowdrake grinned proudly. "Thanks, lady! You're all a pretty _cool_ audience!"

"Oh please stop...I...just recovered from laughing so hard...I need a break for a second..."

"You really are something, you know that? Very few people can create a mountain of puns from one single aspect of something." 'Flowey' added onto the praise. Snowdrake was highly pleased by this.

"You guys...you're a fantastic audience! I gotta tell my friends about this!" Snowdrake ran off, a cheerful kick in his steps to represent his happiness. Frisk was just glad he could help.

"It looks like we've really made him happy, Frisk." Toriel smiled, petting his head affectionately. "Making friends might be easier than I thought."

"Hahaha...ice-based puns. They're awesome." 'Flowey' chuckled. Frisk picked up the potted plant and placed him on his head, carefully balancing him. "Hey, thanks Frisk! This hopping thing gets a bit hard after a while."

It didn't take long for them to catch up to Sans and Papyrus, who were in the middle of discussing something related to a certain fish friend that Frisk was dying to reunite with.

"SO, AS I WAS SAYING ABOUT UNDINE..." Papyrus turned to see Frisk standing in front, waving happily. He suddenly turned towards Sans, who turned towards Papyrus, who turned towards the human, then back to Sans...this pattern repeated multiple times, until they were literally spinning around in circles for no reason. Toriel and Frisk chuckled at the sight, while Flowey shook a little, getting slightly nauseous from the spinning. They finally stopped spinning, and looked away for a moment. "SANS...OH MY GOD. IS...IS THAT A HUMAN?"

"hmm...nope. that's just a rock." Check it out, a conviently placed rock righr behind Frisk, the thing Papyrus was just pointing at.

"OH..."

"...but hey, what's in _front_ of the rock?"

"...OH...OH MY GOD! IS...IS THAT A HUMAN?"

"i can say with about...something percent certainty that's a human we're looking at."

"OH MY GOD! SANS, I FINALLY DID IT! I...I...WAIT A MOMENT." he turned towards Frisk. "HUMAN! SOMETHING SEEMS...FAMILIAR ABOUT YOU...EVEN THOUGH WE JUST MET...DID WE MEET SOMEWHERE AND I JUST DON'T REMEMBER? IF THAT'S THE CASE, I'M DREADFULLY SORRY!" Frisk shrugged. Technically that wasn't correct, but it wasn't wrong either. Time-travel is complicated. "AND...YOU'VE BROUGHT FRIENDS? IS THAT A FLOWER ON YOUR HEAD?"

"Hi! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" 'Flowey' tilted and pulled off an incredibly cute face, while the actual Flowey within the mind resisted the urge to vomit.

"WELL...HELLO THERE, FLOWEY! IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! AND...WHO MIGHT YOU BE, MA'AM?" Eyesockets were on Toriel now, and for the first time since she's exited the Ruinsc she was stumped.

Frisk ran by her side and she leaned down so she could hear him whisper a suggestion. An amused smile graced her features, nodding in agreement. She then stepped forward and bowed. "Why, I'm the friendly neighborhood Goat-Mom! It's very nice to meet you, Papyrus."

Papyrus looked absolutely stunned for a moment. Then he turned to Sans. "SANS...DID YOU KNOW THAT WE HAD A FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD GOAT-MOTHER IN THIS VICINITY?"

"it must be her first day." Sans winked towards the others. Again, that aspect wasn't completely incorrect. "goat-moms are considered the best moms in many places, bro."

"WOWIE! I'VE NEVER HAD A GOAT MOTHER BEFORE! THIS IS A GREAT DAY FOR ME! BUT ALAS...I MUST REMAIN FOCUSED!" Pause. "*AHEM.* HUMAN! YOU SHALL NOT PASS!...THIS AREA!"

"nice work, bro. ya almost referenced something."

"SANS! I'M TRYING TO DRAMATICALLY DIALOUGE HERE!" Frisk snickered at this. "AS I WAS SAYING...I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL STOP YOU! YOU SHALL THEN BE CAPTURED, AND DELIVERED TO THE CAPITAL! THEN! THEN...THEN...UH...I'M NOT TOTALLY SURE WHAT COMES AFTER THAT. NEVERTHELESS! PROGRESS IF YOU DARE! NYEH HEH HE HEH HEH HEH!"

 _I've seen this multiple times...STILL don't know what I'm supposed to make of that. '_ Flowey' thought while laughing to himself. Papyrus is so cool.

"Alright, are we to move on now, Sans?" Toriel asked.

"shouldn't be long, now. seems like he's having a lot of fun already. i really appreciate it. be a group of pals and keep playing along. you'll become friends in no time." he winked secretly towards Frisk and 'Flowey', which was a slight message that said ' _nothing major to change here, but play along anyway'._ Something Frisk had little to no problem with. With that in mind, Sans moved onward again, disappearing the moment Toriel turned her head to follow his movement.

"You know...I think Sans was telling the truth about Papyrus not being very dangerous." Toriel stated as she picked up Frisk and followed the path again. "Despite the threats he seemed to be making, I sensed no hostile intent from him in any way. Plus he was being surprisingly polite."

"I don't think Papyrus has what it takes to be intentionally dangerous. Maybe that's why Sans said that he was so harmless. He _could,_ but he really doesn't wish harm upon Frisk. That's just my take on it." 'Flowey' stated, slightly tilted to the side.

"Well...I suppose if that's the case...then I can feel somewhat reassured that no harm comes to Frisk, not from his hands at least." Toriel nods, feeling more comfortable with their interactions for the moment. Before long, they came across a rather familiar looking sign. It said something about not moving. "Wha...?"

"What! What was that! Did something move?!" Doggo appeared from behind the stand, shifting eyes back and forth. "I can only see moving things...and if something DID move...for example, a HUMAN...I'll make sure it NEVER moves again!"

Frisk didn't think he would ever see the day that Toriel would react as violently as she did. One moment her eyes were shadowed from that statement. The next, Doggo was lying against a tree with a smoking, stinging mark on his cheek that resembled a punch. Probably because she DID punch him, while lighting the hand she used on fire. Alongside that, was a dark look on her face that definitely made Frisk and 'Flowey' cower.

 **"You shall not touch my child."** She glared darkly at the one she struck. Frisk pouted at her, which made her give up on her anger fir the moment, and sighed apologetically. "Okay...I may have reacted a bit too strongly."

"A _bit?_ You basically sucker punched him!" 'Flowey' said, very clearly startled. _Mom...is scary..._

"Now then, I believe we should move on from this point. That dog is rude enough to try and attack a child." Toriel huffed as she walked past the currently unconscious Doggo. 'Flowey' nervously followed after her. Hopefully he won't remember that he got sucker punched...however the pain will probably still be there. However...Frisk refused. He went back and softly petted the poor dog that unintentionally ignited Toriel's fury. He seemed content with this, along with the way that snow was put on the cheek were Toriel sucker punched him, so that he could cool down. She sees Frisk do all of this for the downed canine, and was suddenly feeling guilty for acting too hastily. Nonetheless, he didn't hold it against her. He showed this by grabbing her hand and moving along with the others.

The rest of the path...'Flowey' had absolutely no idea what was going on for the remainder of their path. The very first puzzle for them involved an invisible shock field with only one safe path to travel through. Toriel was worried at first...until Frisk stepped forward and Papyrus got shocked instead, and realized that FRISK was supposed to be holding the orb. He gave him the orb...but at the same time he gave away the safe path for Frisk to cross. Amazingly, Papyrus didn't realize this. And of course, Sans had to say something:

"what a _shocking_ development." And of course, Toriel laughed.

"SANS! DON'T EMBARRASS ME LIKE THIS!"

"That was quite a flawless _electrocution,_ if I do say so myself." Tori couldn't help but giggle. Papyrus glared at Sans as a response.

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE, SANS! YOU'VE CONTAMINATED OUR GOAT-MOTHER WITH YOUR TASTE OF HORRIBLE PUNS!"

"i don't think she has a problem with that. hehehe..."

The very next puzzle...not really the puzzle they expected. Sans literally left a crossword on the ground for Frisk to solve. To be sporty, Frisk actually tried solving it...it took a while to do so. And the only result was Sans and Papyrus having a playful disagreement on whether crosswords or junior jumble was more difficult. Frisk took the latter option, and it clearly made Papyrus happy. And once again, Sans had something to say about it.

"oh. you chose him over me? did i just got _double crossed...?_ "

"Tch!~" Toriel laughed again, heartily. "Have some faith in the _skull and crossbones,_ Sans!"

"ha! so good."

"STOP IT SANS!"

'Flowey'...honestly had no idea what was going on right now. But if there was _one_ thing he was sure of...was that he was definitely enjoying the skeleton bros and their company. He could also tell that Frisk still greatly enjoyed their company. The heavy, burdening knowledge that Sans carried with him, and the despair that he feels most of the time do the countless resets that was his own fault as well as Chara's...none of that ever appears when Papyrus was around. Did...did his younger brother really cheer Sans up that much?

Puzzle after puzzle, Asriel could see just how much Frisk enjoyed their company regardless of how many times he must have done so already. He never got tired of it.

 _"How can he...?"_ Asriel heard Flowey whisper from within, which made him lower his eyes slightly. Them he shook out of it, not wanting to dwell on it any longer than necessary. He was having too much of a good time to have Flowey's nihilism to bring down his mood. How can one be depressed when they constantly pet a dog with a forever growing neck like Lesser Dog...it's quite possible that Frisk has a problem when it came to that. As well as the highly affectionate Greater Dog. Reluctantly, Toriel shooed them away, as they were busy.

...then it came to a head.

"What the flipping flippity flip?!" 'Flowey' gasped at the sight of Papyrus's latest puzzle. But was it really a puzzle...? It looked more like an excessive deathtrap...with a dog attached to it.

...wha...?

"Okay, no! No! AND NO AGAIN!" Toriel shouted in protest. "This is just far too much for a child to walk through! I downright REFUSE to allow Frisk to challenge that monstrosity!"

Papyrus raised a hand to make a comment...lowered it slowly...then he turned to Sans and pouted. "SANS. GOAT-MOTHER IS CORRECT. THIS PARTICULAR PUZZLE IS HIGHLY UNFAIR. I DESIGN ALL OF MY PUZZLES TO BE FAIR! IT'S FAR, FAAAR TO CHALLENGING FOR THE SMALL HUMAN TO GO THROUGH! IT HAS NO CLASS, NO ORGANIZATION, AND IT DOESN'T MEET MY STANDARDS AT ALL! THE HUMAN DESERVES A FIGHTING CHANCE!"

"huh. it does look a bit overkill. guess you better put it away then, huh?"

"INDEED I SHOULD! AWAY IT GOES!" Papyrus waved his hand dramitcally, amd the trap immedistely vanished by his whim. He sighed in relief and it was caught by Frisk. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?! THIS IS YET ANOTHER DECISIVE VICTORY FOR PAPYRUS! NYEH! HEH! HEH!" And then he quickly left, leaving them behind. Sans chuckled a bit, before he was face to face with a not-amused-at-all Toriel. He resisted the urge to look afraid. Which he totally wasn't. Probably.

"Sans..."

"what? the kid didn't have go through it after all. i honestly don't see the problem." Toriel just sighed as Frisk merely placed Flowey on his head, grabbed Toriel's hand, and lead them along. For the moment, danger was not a concern for them. They crossed the bridge with no more problems, and made their way to their destination.

They noticed how significantly calmer the place was compared to the semi-chaotic Snowdin Forest. It was actually a lot more peaceful than Snowdin Forest. And much, much more noticable by Frisk, is that the citizens were very, very nice. At worst, a couple of them were indifferent to everyone's problems but their own. At best, hospitality was very well-distributed. There was also an inn for them to stay in, so that's pretty neat.

And a big prop for Toriel. No one seemed to recognize her as the former Queen of the Underground. Granted, no one has seen her for so many years, and all of their attention was on her ex-husband. But still, she would try and not to do something that would attract unwanted attention. To further her luck and relief, no one seemed too overly excited to see a human here, so she didn't need to raise her guard...too much. There's always a chance that things can turn on it's head. With these reassurances in mind, this was a perfect place to rest. Nothing too serious to worry about here.

Except when 'Flowey' said something unexpected.

"I'm so hungry..."

 _"Are you serious? You're HUNGRY? You're a flower!"_ Flowey mentally berated Asriel.

 _Flowers can get hungry too, Flowey! YOU never got hungry because you're busy murdering everything! Not to mention these things can heal! But considering your LOVE was like freakishly high in your runs, you didn't have much use for healing until Sans had you cornered! As for ME, I haven't gotten a nibble of anything for centuries! I think I earned my right to complain about it!_

 _"Alright fine! But you're still just a flower, they don't have stomachs!"_ Logic defied Flowey with a passion, as the middle of Asriel's flower form began grumbling in protest. Flowey was legitimately surprised by this. _"...I keep forgetting that logic can't explain all anomalies..."_

 _Ha! Looks like you're not as knowledgeable about magic plants as you thought you were, considering that you are one. I'm hungry, so that's that!_

 _"I can't believe that I'm arguing about how plants eat with a seven-year old..."_

 _This 'seven-year old' has you on mental lockdown._

 _"...well-played."_

'Flowey' was slightly nudged by Frisk as the latter was looking at him in question. He snickered in embarrassment. "Sorry, Frisk. It's weird, isn't it? Somehow a plant can get hungry like everyone else. But then again...normal doesn't really exist here, does it?" He looked upwards. "Sorry if I get a bit deep about this, but there's so many different perceptions of 'normality' that...I really don't think such a thing exists anymore. I mean...look at me. Normal doesn't describe me...or you for that matter." Frisk pointed at himself in confusion. "Yeah you. No matter how many times you get your butt kicked, fighting back just doesn't appeal to you." Frisk chuckled and shook his head. Then he gasped and reached into his bag, and pulled out a Cinnamon Bunny, then handed it to the flower. He had bought it from the Snowdin Shopkeeper and as expected, it was a cinnamon roll shaped like a bunny. "Huh? Frisk, you bought this for me?" He nodded. Figuring that Asriel hasn't really eaten much since he was Flowey, and he was kinda focused on death and destruction...stuff like that.

Hesitantly, 'Flowey' took the cinnamon bun in his small leaves. He wondered if he could taste still...only one way to know for sure. He takes the sweet and gently bites into it.

To try and picture Asriel's feelings that moment, his mindscape has started raining cinnamon buns, much to Flowey's utter confusion and comical rage. _"HEY! IF YOU'RE KEEPING ME HERE, STOP MAKING THE PLACE UNBELIEVABLY STUPID!"_

This was it. This was totally it. Asriel gave no care in the world that he was a flower right now. He gave no care that the arrangement may or may not have any logic to it. It really doesn't matter to him. He solemnly swore that he would start eating again for the time being while he waits to get his body back again. Because he can still taste in this form...and the taste of the cinnamon bun has awoken the hunger within. In almost no time at all, he began biting into his treat some more, nibbling happily. The face he was making was cheerful and super adorable.

To recap, there was a very significant difference between Flowey and Chara, to Asriel and Frisk. The former duo eat just for the healing. The latter duo actually ENJOY the foods they get. And considering Asriel's plight, and realizing he had all of his emotions and senses intact this time around, including _taste,_ he was not gonna take this for granted, no freaking way. He was grateful, and he was going to enjoy it. The tiny crumbs stuck to his petals a bit as he stared at Frisk with a pleading face.

"Please dear friend...may I have some more?"

 _"You're pathetic."_

 _If pathetic means I get more sweets, then I sure am~_

Frisk chuckled slightly as he handed him yet another cinnamon bun, then picked up the potted plant and petted his petals lightly.

"huh. never seen a flower so intent on having snacks." Sans appearee beside them with an amused grin. "guess the kid is taking advantage of the fact that he has the emotions to actually enjoy food now."

"Mmm~" 'Flowey' mumbled through his nibbling, most of his focus on his treat.

"wow, he really likes his cinnamon, doesn't he?"

Frisk guessed that Asriel had quite a thing for cinnamon. Considering Toriel makes pretty amazing cinnamon pie. Butterscotch-cinnamon pie was definitely a favorite of his, mostly for the cinnamon. Not that he didn't like butterscotch. But...buttercups have...not been a nice symbol for his family. Like...at all. Not even a little bit. Especially to him and Chara.

'Flowey' finished his second cinnamon bun in record time...and promptly burped. "Ha, excuse me~"

 _"You think you're SO cute, don't you?"_

"anyway, you might as well take a load off for the day. tori is hanging with paps over at my place, but she's kinda wanting to cuddle the frisk here." Sans nudged Frisk, and the boy blushed lightly. "but for real, we're just taking a little break, ya know?"

'Flowey' looked concerned while Frisk began petting his petals again to relax him somewhat. "Don't we have to get things in order as soon as possible? None of us can fully predict Chara's movements. What if he does something...?"

Sans sighed, scratching the back of his skull. "listen kid, I know you're worried. but don't let it cross into paranoia. trust me when i say i'm all for making progress as soon as possible. but at the same time, rushing things won't do us very well either. because if we slip up because we're in such a hurry, the consequences might be a _bit_ too severe for our liking because we didn't take the time to slow down and take in important deails." He shrugged. "long story short, we find a middle ground when it comes to pacing. for example, once you two and tori leave, i'll spend some time training with paps. whether we actually need to fight or not, it doesn't hurt to be cautious."

Frisk nodded to Sans, and then stared at Asriel for his input. The flower was most definitely still concerned about the entire thing, and rightfully so. But...he agreed to the reset because he trusted that Frisk and Sans knew what they were doing. So he nodded softly as well.

"good. now you best soothr tori's worry by meeting her at my place. as for me...eh. i'm going to grillby's."

"Grillby's tends to be your favorite spot, huh?"

"it's where i got to relax and think. and i got plenty to think about."

"Like ketchup?"

"...heh. boy, asriel. _mustard_ be so rude?"

"You're not even TRYING to make it good! You're just flat-out horrible!" This aroused a laugh in all three of them, soothing their nerves for the time being. It was good to know they could still relax a little when they needed to.

 **(Dreamscape)**

 _It was another seemingly normal day at the castle. Toriel was gently making up the bed that she and Asgore shared together, since he wasn't beside her when she woke up. It was awfully strange, but she wasn't too worried about it. Though she'll have to find him at some point and remind him to water the flowers, since she had no idea what she was doing when it came to gardening. It was embarrassing._

 _What was she going to do with that fluffy pushover?_

 _Nonetheless, she finished making up the bed and went to other important matters. Those important matters are her two sons. Asriel and Chara Dreemurr._

 _The latter of the two was a human Asriel brought in when he foumd him unconscious on the ground, abandoned and alone. Their kindness being well-known throughout the kingdom, they were more than happy to take the child in, regardless of the conflict between humans and monsters. This child has not wronged them, there was no reason to abandon him. And as such, they loved him just as much as they did Asriel._

 _Toriel walked through the bedroom they shared, ready to smother them with motherly hugs and kisses..._

 _They weren't in their beds._

 _"Asriel...? Chara...?" Now she was beginning to worry. She searched through the entire room. Under their beds, in their closet, in their clothes bins, the toy box...anything to reassure her that they're just pulling off a childish prank, they did tend to be little tricksters every now and them. So far...nothing. Her heart began beating faster during her increasing panic, and she rushed out of the room down the hallways._

 _"Asriel...! Chara...!"_

 _She tried calling out to them, yet for some reason her shouts were reduced to mere whispers. Her breathing became frantic as she could not sense them anywhere within the castle. She was greatly fearing for their safety, wherever they were. She couldn't look for them on their own, so she had to get Asgore and have the Royal Guard search for-_

 _"...Asgore...?"_

 _Her breathing stopped the second she reached the throne room. Her eyes were glued on the floor, as her paws reached up to cover her muzzle, shsking her head in adamant denial. She saw her husband's robes, his trident, his armor, and his crown..._

 _As well as dust._

 _"No...nonononono..." she softly repeated herself as she backed away from the sight. This was horrible...who or what could have done this? Especially since she didn't hear, see, nor sense any sort or conflict within the castle. She almost jumped out of her fur when she heard something on her right, when she ran outside to get help._

 _She was once again met with unknowing shock as she saw that the entire area had changed. One side of the kingdom was shrouded in a sea of buttercups and vines. The other was engulfed in flames, buildings were crushed, and there was dust swirling around with the constant wind that was now ruffling her fur. She had to cover her eyes before her vision could get impaired by all of the sudden changes in environment._

 _When she opened her eyes again, there was nothingness. A pure black void with almost nothing in it, and the howling of the wind made everything seem ominous, aside from the fact that she could barely understand what's happening. What she DID see...was her two sons standing far in front of her, their backs turned. Her discomfort didn't decrease at all. Because Asriel was covered in vines that sprouted from the ground and was blooming buttercups, and Chara was covered in dust, blood, and there was a knife in his hand._

 _She hesitantly reached her hand forward towards them, though her steps grew heavier each time. "...boys...?"_

 _Suddenly, they turned around, their eyes closed for a couple seconds. Then she almost screamed when she saw Asriel's face turn into Flowey's demonic fanged smile and the vines began growing faster, while Chara's face was leaking a black liquid from his eyes and mouth. To further her growing fear, they both said the same thing at the same time:_

 ** _"We messed up bad, Mom..._**

 **(Reality)**

Toriel suddenly woke up with a start, her breathing fast and heavy. Her paw was swift to tightly grip her chest where her heart was, and her eyes were closed tightly as she hung her hesd, her ears drooping and also shadowing her eyes. Her rapid breathing didn't cease until she gazed at Frisk, who was currently asleep, his head on her lap. 'Flowey' was sitting on a table across from them, also sleeping peacefully. Both were unaware of her nightmare, along with her short snd sudden panic attack resulting from it. It would stay that way for their sake. Realizing it was useless to try and immediately go back to sleep, she just began petting Frisk's hair as she pondered what she had just seen.

She's had nightmares about losing both of her sons before. But...they were never to that kind of extent. That was something else entirely, and she had no idea where it came from or why it happened. Her mind tried to shrug it off by telling her it was just a dream. But deep within her her heart and soul, she knew that wasn't the case. What she saw, she saw for a reason. And they had something to do with it. And something compelled her to find out what it was. But right now, she would try to calm herself into going back to sleep. Which she managed to succeed in doing, albeit reluctantly.

Unknown to her, Sans was standing in the doorway. He had finally gotten back from Grillby's, and he was just in time to witness her short moments of panic. It was enough for him to guess what happened. He passed them by and headed up to his room.

"huh. that expression. that was the expression of someone who's seen something they don't understand. for now, it might be better that she didn't." He said quietly as he closed the door behind him...

* * *

 **Sans: who feels like trash after putting tori through a nightmare? *points to me* this guyyyyyyy!**

 **Me: Sans. Stop saying things.**

 **Sans: ok.**

 **Me: Sans! What did I just say?!**

 **Sans: what? I didn't say 'things' that time, like you asked me to.**

 **Me. Ugh...**

 **Next chapter will have more Papyrus. Whether that's good or something else, we'll see...**


	5. Deep Hidden Issues

**Wow...I originally intended for this to be a fun chapter...then it got really heavy and really long very quickly and I don't know how. I...I genuinely don't know how this happened. My mind just...wandered on and It didn't stop until it was done. I honestly don't know what to think of it...so I'll allow you guys to assist me on that.**

 **Now once again, I _do_ appreciate constructive criticism. I know there's gonna be mistakes or I mess up somewhere, I get information mixed up, I ramble on for too long...that stuff. I'm fully aware that I'm not a pro writer. If I was, I'd keep trying my best to make this story as enjoyable as I possibly can. Despite all this, I'm having fun~**

 **I also appreciate the reviews, follows, and favorites I get. And the views are pretty high, too. Already in the thousands. Thanks for that.**

 **I don't wanna talk for too long. I may have written far too much in this chapter already...and it's kinda darker than I intended...even naming it was hard...**

 **...plz help.**

* * *

 **(Asriel's Mindscape)**

Asriel and Flowey were having a little 'discussion' about the former's newfound obsession with Cinnamon Bunny. Because now Asriel's mindscape was now filled with buttercups...and Cinnamon Bunnies. Heck, there was a Cinnamon Bunny MOUNTAIN in the distance, dubbed 'Mt. Cinnamon Bon.' Needless to say...Flowey was not amused.

Not even a little bit.

"If I could, I'd kill you."

"Wouldn't that be suicide, though? We may not actually share the same mindset or personality thingies, but we do share a body. And dying is something we're REALLY trying to avoid."

"True, we are trying to avoid that. And by the way...it was a body that YOU hijacked! I didn't even know that it was possible for you to retain your feelings and carry them over to another timeline! I almost prefer the usual loop!"

"Well newsflash, this used to be my body anyway, so I'm already in charge of it!"

"In technical terms, that may be true. But in literal terms, HELL NO!"

"There's no need to be mean about it."

"Piss off, you damn rotten goat child!"

"...you know. They outta call you 'Sweary The Flower' instead. I don't think I was that angry."

"Sorry, but Sweary might possibly be copyrighted. Something called Sweary the Swan already took up that mantle."

"Who?"

"Never mind. I don't even know why that came up."

"Huh. Maybe I'll call you...Cursey the Flower, then!"

"You're such an idiotic, stupid child, you know that?"

"...forget it. I'll just call you Meanie The Flower. Because you're such a big meanie flower, Flowey."

"Oh, _now_ you're getting creative, for a seven-year old."

Asriel sighed as he scratched the fur on his ears and laid back in the sea of flowers. He was beginning to feel really bad for Frisk for the crap that Flowey probably put him through countless times. The flower was obnoxious one of the obsolete irritatingly cruel ways. He was cruel, he was mean, he was unbearingly nihilistic, and he had a sadistic streak. Asriel couldn't help but feel responsible for all of those things. Because now he had to listen to all of the nihilistic thoughts he had build up due to countless resets on his behalf.

And good lord, he was super annoying. Unfortunately, the feeling was highly mutual. To make it worse, since they're kinda the same being. Asriel was basically arguing with himself.

Not only is that crazy, it's incredibly awkward. Both of them acknowledges this, and neither of them like it. Also considering that both of them have centuries of knowledge due to so many resets...yet Asriel still has the somewhat innocent mind of a seven-year child. Flowey, however...

"Not only that, but ever since you've eaten that Cinnamon Bunny, it's all you ever dreamed about for hours! THERE'S A CINNAMON BUNNY MOUNTAIN OVER THERE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! YOU CALLED IT 'MT. CINNAMON BUNNY!'"

Asriel folded his arms with a small pout. "It was the first thing I've eaten in who knows how long! Of course I'm gonna get hung up on it!" Then his long ears picked up for a second. "Wait a minute...if I can taste food again..." His cute tiny tail began to wag, and he jumped on his feet, his eyes sparkling comically. "The possibilities! They've been multiplied! I can finally eat again!"

Flowey groaned. "Oh no. What have I done in mentioning that to you...?" He could just see it now. Asriel having his appreciation and fondness for food back, it would only result in a rather strange scene of a flower stuffing himself with as much food he could fit in his mouth and eating it all hungrily. And repeating the entire process over and over. There was no escaping it now. With the assistance of magic, it was unlikely Asriel would get full while in Flowey's form.

"It's within my grasp now! the Cinnamon Bunnies, Monster Candies, Bicicles, Nice Creams, Starfaits...! Mom's Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie..." Asriel leaned over slightly, drooling a little. "Ah...I missed it all...I never thought I'd ever be glad that I can get very hungry. It means I can eat a lot more, somewhat. Yeah~"

"I'm really regretting letting you discover that you can still gain the sense to enjoy and savor your foods..." Flowey rolled his eyes. "I probably could have stopped you if I had the chance..."

"I would have figured it out eventually, you big Meanie Flower." Asriel stuck his tongue out at him.

Flowey rolled his eyes. "Bah, whatever puny goat child." He stared up at the imaginary sky, carelessly analyzing it to see of any more random objects might fall out of the sky and he'd be forced to keep dodging. He'd get incredibly pissed off if he did. Though he had to come back to one question before he would be driven up a wall due to being annoyed by his positive counterpart. "Hey. I got a rather important question to ask you. It's about your trip to this timeline. You're here to get the _true '_ happy ending', is that right?"

Asriel turned towards the flower with a rather curious look. Where was this coming from? "Uh...yes. I think we've been through this."

"Yes...we have. But we didn't really go into the details on _how_ you actually came to that type of goal." Flowey tilted his head to the side. "I'm no fool. And since we share identical mindsets, I know for a fact that there's no way you would actually try gain answers from Chara _your_ way, as pointless as it is. And I believe that the child 'Frisk' had something to do with it." Asriel attempted to look away, but Flowey merely sprouted in front of him. "You were resigned to your fate, Asriel. How and why was your mind changed so drastically? Did the previous timeline fill you with some since of false hope that you could permanently change anything? Really? Who put you up to this garbage, Asriel? Tell me, I'm curious."

Asriel rubbed his arm, something giving him that this would lead into something uncomfortable. "Well...Frisk encouraged the idea..."

"That figures."

"Sans provided the knowledge..."

"Oh, the comedian. He's actually getting off his lazy bony butt for a change? I figured he'd given up a hundred resets ago."

"And...Alphys provided the research..."

Flowey actually stopped smiling in mockery for a second. His face twisted into one of intense annoyed irritated rage. "... _What?_ " Asriel flinched a little when he saw Flowey's dark intent emitting from his body. "Alphys? Seriously? **Alphys?!** Okay, I know that you're young, naive, and stupid...but that's a new low, even for _you_. How can you place your trust into someone like her?!"

"Flowey...she's not a bad person-"

"She's _trash,_ Asriel! She even agrees that she's trash! No matter what I said or what I did, I NEVER forgot that she played a major part in your suffering! It's because of her that you couldn't just die out when the dust hit those flowers! You would have peacefully went to the afterlife, but she took that away, too! We don't have a soul right now! If you die, then that's it. You're done. Forever! You _stop existing in this timeline._ All because she had to give into her mad scientist urge! I'm still a major threat, Asriel. Just think. I wouldn't even _exist_ if she had just quit while she was ahead. But _nooooo!_ She 'wanted this to work' fat load of good that's done everyone! Whether Asgore requested the research or not, she should have known how dangerous this was, messing with a power she didn't completely understand. She messed with **DETERMINATION** and it manifested into those Amalgamates...and you were reincarnated as me. Flowey the Flower. An unfeeling flower desiring cosmic destruction..."

Asriel shook his head. "Alphys didn't know, Flowey! She didn't know what was going to happen! And I saw how bad she felt about it!" In reality, due to the many resets, he had figured out that his time as a flower was one of Alphys' failed experiments. As Asriel, he had harbored no ill will towards her. But as Flowey...clearly he didn't appreciate that Asriel actually considered having her help.

"I still hate the comedian due to the constant resets he cost me. But she's a _very_ close second for allowing me to end up this way in the first place. I'm a freak of chaos, Asriel. She's the major reason why. I'll bet she looked at you with a look of immense guilt when she finally discovered the identity of the so-called _tiny flower_. Am I right?"

Asriel closed his eyes. "...I can feel myself waking up, Flowey. I'm going to leave now. So I'll leave you here to cool off that sudden rage of yours, okay?" With that, he disappeared out of his mindscape, leaving the steaming plant there alone.

"...why, Asriel?" Flowey said quietly, staring at the ground. "I represent your most negative thoughts since your consciousness persisted despite us sharing the same flower body. I know that deep down, you _do_ hate Alphys somewhat for the suffering brought upon you whether it was intentional or not, and the body of destruction that is me. So...how? How can you just put that aside and forgive her so easily?" He had moved over to a tiny puddle surrounded by the buttercups. He saw his confused expression in the reflection.

"I just...can't understand..."

 **(Real World)**

Asriel woke up with a small yawn, sprouting his petals outward, his own face visible on his flower body. His eyes fluttered open a couple times before his face met with Frisk's somewhat eternal neutral expression, not including the small smile. "Oh, hey Frisk. Did you wake up before the others?" Frisk shook his head. Sans and Papyrus were not present, and Toriel was still asleep, her arms still wrapped Frisk in a motherly snuggle. Because of this, Frisk was only able to barely tap Asriel on his top petal. from his current distance. "Ah, I see. Mom isn't awake, yet. But I wonder where Sans and Papyrus went?" Frisk frowned slightly and pointed an accusing hand of concern towards Asriel? "Huh? What's the matter with me? You saw my face scrunching up while I was asleep? Yeah...I was kinda having an argument with myself in my mind. It feels weird." Frisk tilted his head to the side. Asriel repeated the motion, his eyes squinted. "I don't get it either..." He blinked when he saw that Toriel was beginning to stir. "Uh-oh. Mom's waking up. Face-switch." Asriel switched to his 'Flowey' face and tried to put on a smile.

Toriel yawned quietly as she rubbed her eyes with one paw while still holding Frisk by the other paw. Eyes now fully open, she gazed at the small human child on her lap, smiling. "Good morning, my child." She pulled the child closer and kissed his forehead. Frisk couldn't help but giggle as a result. Toriel then turned her sights towards 'Flowey' and kissed him on top of his petals, greatly surprising him. "And good morning to you, Flowey. I do apologize for not trusting you very much the other day. But it seems you really are intending on helping us like you said. Frisk really seems to like you as well, so having you along seems to be a good decision after all."

'Flowey' blinked owlishly for a couple moments. The warmth of his mother's good morning kisses...it feels so familiar to him now. Unlike the first time, when he _still_ couldn't feel anything and it was one of his final breaking points. Now he could actually feel it despite being in flower form. He...really didn't think he'd miss it so much. Sure, he can't enjoy it in his actual form at the moment, but he accepted that this was the closest that he'll get at the moment. _M...Mommy..._ He mentally shook his head. _Stay strong, Asriel. Stay strong._

The door suddenly burst open, surprising everyone within, as Papyrus stepped inside, looking triumphant. "NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH! THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED FROM MORNING WORKOUTS! SUCH AN EXCITING MORNING ROUTINE IT IS INDEED! ISN"T THAT RIGHT, BROTHER?!"

Sans...wasn't looking so good. He was slowed to a slow, exhausted crawl through the door, facedown on the ground. "huff...huff...pap...pap...i'm feeling like i'm gonna pass out, pap...everything aches so much right now...i can't feel my kneecaps...probably because i don't have skin...hah..."

"NYEH! THAT MEANS IT'S WORKING! MINUS THE PUN!" Papyrus seemed completely unaware of Sans and his exhaustion, he was just too happy that he was actually working out for once. The younger brother gleefully ran up the stairs into his room, leaving Sans to stand up on his own and stretch out.

"ooooooh boy...that was rough...hey, kiddo." Sans moaned as he passed by Frisk and rustled his hair a little. He went straight towards the kitchen, reached into one of the cabinets and grabbed a full bottle of ketchup. "i can't remember the last time i woke up so early...or participated in physical fitness...or _willingly_ participated in physical fitness..."

Toriel snickered as she sees Sans pass by and slump into the couch next to her. "It sure seems like you needed the exercise. I'm sorry, I know it isn't any of my business, but...you seem to have quite a taste for ketchup. And...you were wearing pink slippers the entire time? Even while you were running?"

Sans shrugged. "men can wear pink, too. plus...i don't really feel like changing them anytime soon."

"Ah Sans...did you even want to go on a morning exercise session?"

"yeah. i actually did want to, ya know...build my endurance and all of that junk. but i didn't say that i'd like it. yeah, that's it. one of those 'i'll do it, but i won't like it' kind of moments." Frisk had the feeling that Sans was indirectly talking to him and Asriel. "anyway, why don't you take the kid out to play. surely he'll appreciate the break, considering how you came all the way from the ruins up to snowdin."

Toriel thought about this for a while, once again drawing her attention to the child in her lap. "What do you think, my child?" Frisk nodded positively, giving her the answer she needed. She set him down and patted his head. "Very well. Until then, I'll still need something to-"

"hide your face? and your identity, right? i got something in my room that just might help you with that." Sans offered. "just go up and i'll be there in a couple minutes." Toriel seemed to accept his offer as she sat up, dusted off her robes and made her way up to the skeleton's room. while she was doing that, he chugged on the ketchup bottle he had in his bony hand. he wiped his mouth and immediately turned to 'Flowey'. "ya don't have anything to worry about. i don't leave my top secret stuff lying around for anyone to find...unlike everything else in there."

Asriel looked up at him curiously. "So...do you _ever_ clean your room?"

"hm...nah. i never feel like it." Sans shrugged. "hey...listen up, frisk. i figured out the way to skip straight to the 'befriending my bro' thing. just follow my lead."

"HUMAN!" Papyrus bursts back of his room, walking down the stairs and pointing at Frisk dramatically. "YOU HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL HOUSE-GUEST! BUT I FEAR THAT I MUST CAPTURE YOU NOW! PREPARE YOURSELF FOR-"

"hey. hey paps. i just thought of a totally rad idea that you should totally support." Sans interrupted his younger brother's rambling. "maybe you should...i don't know...not do that. how does that idea strike you?"

Papyrus stared at his rather as if he offered a completely ludicrous idea. "W-WHAT?! BUT SANS, I MUST CAPTURE A HUMAN! THE GOAL WILL SURELY SECURE MY PLACE IN THE ROYAL GUARD!"

"yeah, i know. and i have no doubt that you'll get in eventually. however...this human wants to be your friend."

'I DON"T...WAIT WHAT?"

"yep. this human wants to be your friend, one hundred percent. and you've always wanted to make friends. but if you capture him and send him to the capital, he can't be your friend, now can he? plus if you take the human away..." Sans pretended to wipe tears away. "if you take him away, goat-mom will be _very_ sad."

"W-W-WHAT?! SHE WILL?"

"yep. and you don't want goat-mom to be sad, do you?"

"NO, OF COURSE NOT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SERVES TO CREATE HAPPINESS, NOT SADNESS! I DON"T WANT TO MAKE GOAT-MOTHER UPSET, SHE'S BEEN VERY NICE AND POLITE!" He turned around to face Frisk. "HUMAN...THERE HAS BEEN A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN PLANS! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE SURRENDERED MY DESIRE TO CAPTURE YOU! I SHALL MAKE THE EFFORT TO BEFRIEND YOU INSTEAD! AREN'T YOU GRATEFUL?" Frisk nodded excitedly. "NYEH HEH! I KNEW THAT YOU WOULD!" His grin dropped a little while turning back towards Sans again. "BUT WAIT...IF I DO NOT CAPTURE THE HUMAN, WHAT WILL I SAY TO UNDYNE? WON"T SHE BE DISAPPOINTED IN ME?"

Sans shrugged. "trust me, pap. i got a good feeling in my heart that she'll completely understand."

"OKAY!" Papyrus said cheerfully. However..."WAIT A MINUTE...WAS THAT ANOTHER PUN?!"

"nope...but now that you mention it, thanks for pointing it out~" Sans snickered.

"GAH! COME NOW, HUMAN AND FLOWEY! BEFORE HE CONTAMINATES YOUR MINDS!" he hoisted both Frisk and 'Flowey' up and dashed out of the house.

Sans chuckled as he got off the couch. "now that they're in good good hands, i'll tend to the lady upstairs..." he stopped and thought over what he just said, then shivered. Regaining focus, he went upstairs to his room, where Toriel was looking around curiously.

The former queen had been looking over and observing the contents of said room. She couldn't help but notice that he had many opened letters that went to 'Santa' that are from Papyrus. A pile of car magazines that looked like they've been read over a dozen times and had sticky notes placed in them labeled 'potential car for pap'. And in the corner were a pile of numerous storybooks of many genres that looked like they were for children.

"You have...quite a messy room, Sans."

"yeah. my room isn't as _roomy_ as it should be, is it?"

"Hmhmhm~" Toriel relaxed her soft laughter as she looked again at the things related to Papyrus. "Why do most of these have Papyrus labeled on them?"

"ah, ya noticed? well as you can see...my bro always dreams of going to the surface, just like any other monster. he wants to get a car and drive it down a really long highway and feel the wind pass through his skull. so, i'm looking through car magazines to see which might be the right one to give him when the time comes." Toriel's face lights up at this. "and as for those storybooks...paps always gets a bit cranky if i don't give him a bedtime story. he really likes the ones with the happy endings, so those are the only ones i actually get. he's out like a light by the time i'm done."

"Wow...that's very sweet of you, Sans. You care a lot about your brother, don't you?"

"more than you know, tori. more than you know." And he deeply means that. He turned to the stack of letters about Santa, and sighed. _now we've reached another difficult part, sansy-boy. don't screw up. the kid's countin' on ya._ "and these christmas letters to santa...yeah. that one, was a partnership."

Toriel noticed that Sans took a rather nervous stance the moment he said 'partnership'. "Sans...is there something about this partner of yours that makes you uncomfortable?"

"oh, nothing much. my partner in _chime_ when it came to being half the dual santas...it was the king himself."

The pun mid-sentence didn't even make Toriel laugh this time when Sans mentioned that the King of the Underground was the other half of the Secret Santa duo. Though he was sure that the identity reveal and not the Santa part was what threw her off. It was taking her a couple moments to process this new information. Her pun partner was also the Santa-partner of her ex-husband. It was just a bit difficult for her to get her mind around. Sans was doing a good job at acting oblivious, even while sitting right in front of her.

Toriel simply turned around and rubbed her forehead while her eyes became somewhat dull. "You...you know Asgore personally...? I...I see. That's definitely a surprise."

Sans accepted that what some of the things he'll say next might be hurtful, but will help in the long run. It needed to be said. "yeah, i know the fluffy giant personally. we began hanging out when he came straight to grillby's himself to somewhat relax his nerves. guy seemed pretty miserable to me. he told me quite a story. both of his kids died on the same day, made quite an angry declaration of war because of it, cooled down and stayed down here. but people got so hopeful to see the surface, he decided to run with it for as long as possible. thinking of this as cowardly, his wife divorced him, dude thinks he has the fate of the entire underground on his shoulders...yep the fluffy king was definitely having a bad time. of course being the nice guy that i am, i intended to spend time with him to cheer him up. me and paps succeeded, at least a little bit." Sans scratched the top of his skull. "if ya ask me, he looked like a seriously broken man who just wants his family back...even though he knows that it's probably never gonna happen."

Toriel listened intently to Sans' interactions with Asgore, and she felt pain grip her heart. The man had made such a horrible mistake that put the entire Underground under an illusion of hope...and he's trying to keep that veil up for as long as he possibly could. But from Sans' observation, the man was clearly suffering from this, and deeply regrets it. Though she didn't know if they would be able to look one another in the eye again.

"now, from _my_ personal standpoint, that wife of his has a pretty good point to be angry with him. however, i don't think it really warrants completely cutting ties with him and leaving him to suffer for his mistakes all by his lonesome, especially when the guy's not even a bad person. he just made a mistake that he can't take back even if he tried. the only person left who can kinda lift his spirits at this point is the captain of the royal guard, undyne. after all, in a scenario like that, family should be sticking together and helping each other out during times like this. ya don't just leave them to endure their misery all alone." Sans shrugged. "now i'm not saying that he and his wife should get back together or anything like that. but i _am_ saying again, that family should be helping one another out when one is feeling down. sure, they might hate one another's guts for a while if they messed up like, _really_ bad. but they'll get over it eventually, and then the healing might begin. take me, for example."

Toriel blinked when he began pointing at himself. "You, Sans?"

"yep. me." he repeated. "despite always having a grin on my face...it ain't always genuine. i've been through quite a bit of crap myself, tori. i keep thinking, 'what's the point? why do i keep trying?' it's gotten so bad that it's bordering on some serious depression of some kind...but i might be exaggerating a bit." he shrugged again. "but i can tell ya the one thing that keeps me going. c'mere." he turns toward the window and pushes it upward to open it. He gestures for Toriel to look out of it with him, and so she does.

"HUMAN! PREPARE YOURSELF! I WILL NOW ENGAGE YOU IN WHAT IS KNOWN AS: A SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Papyrus chanted as he grabbed a snowball and threw it at Frisk, nailing him in the face and knocking him down. "AH,OH NO! I THREW TOO HARD!" He said worriedly as he approached Frisk and wiped the snow off his face, then picking him up entirely. "HUMAN! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? PLEASE GIVE ME A SIGN THAT YOU"RE NOT HURT!" Frisk was definitely dazed, but nonetheless raised a thumb up to show that he was okay. "OH THANK GOODNESS. I WAS UNAWARE THAT HUMANS WERE SO EASY TO KNOCK DOWN! MAYBE WE SHOULD NOT ENGAGE IN THE SNOWBALL FIGHT AFTER ALL."

"So let's build snow versions of ourselves instead!" 'Flowey' sprouted cheerfully as he revealed his work to them. It was a snowy version of himself. Though it was a bit rough around the petals, it was pretty good. Mind that 'Flowey' does not have fingers.

"AHAH! THAT"S EXCELLENT, FLOWEY! ALMOST AS EXCELLENT AS MINE! BEHOLD!" He showed of the one that he's been making aside from the ones outside of Snowdin. It looked EXACTLY like him...but with muscles. 'Flowey' and Frisk beamed at how awesome Papyrus was. "NYEH! I KNEW YOU'D BOTH BE IMPRESSED! AS YOU SHOULD BE. IT'S A WONDERFUL MASTERPIECE CREATED BY ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! BUT NEVER FEAR! I SHALL HELP YOU BUILD GREATER SNOW-VERSIONS OF YOU! THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!"

Deep within, Asriel beamed as Papyrus posed dramatically. _Papyrus is so strange...and in more ways than one. But what he really surprises me on his...well...personality in general. He refers to himself as 'great' and 'awesome' and stuff like that. But without the entire jerkish vibe that would be in those stories of overly cocky bad guys. But Papyrus...it isn't cockiness or jerky overconfidence at all. He just...truly energetically BELIEVES in himself that much._ He smiled softly. _...maybe one day...I can-_

SPLAT!

His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of Greater Dog suddenly pouncing on Snow Papyrus, much to the real Papyrus' comical shock, and began rolling around in the snow without a care in the world. Frisk laughed and went up to pet the dog himself. It resulted in a rather strange position: It laid on it's side and hugged it's knees so that Frisk can reach his head and pet him. The rapidly wagging tail signifies that he enjoys this very much. This was a rather ridiculously adorable sight to look at.

Papyrus was both amused and not amused. "NYEH?! GREATER DOG IS BEING A BAD DOG! GREATER DOG, I'M SENDING YOU INTO THE DOG HOUSE FOR THE NEXT TWO TO THREE MINUTES. I ALREADY HAVE PLENTY OF DOG TREATS AND DOG FOOD PREPARED, SO MAKE YOURSELF AT HOME."

Sans smiled as he closed the window down and his attention was on Toriel again. "ya see that? that's my super cool brother. can never really be mad at him because of how hard he tries to do good. he's enthusiastic, his self-esteem is super high, his optimism is off the charts..." he sighed. "like i said...most of the time, both my mind and my emotions tend to be dark and depressing...pap is the only ray of sunshine i have at the moment."

The former queen continued to gaze at the skeleton as he placed his hands in his pockets. Her eyes lowered as he laced a warm paw on his shoulder. "You're...very protective of your younger brother's happiness...aren't you?"

Sans nodded. "it's the job of the oldest sibling to take care of and watch over the younger ones after them. protecting and supporting their happiness is in the job description. and that's not restricted only for siblings. the entire family has to take part. you and i both know, tori. people like pap and frisk...they don't appear in the world very often. that's why protecting them is so important, because you never know when something might try to take them away, because they're 'too pure for this world'. anyway, let's just get to the the point i'm trying to make." Sans took a deep breath. He wasn't entirely used to talking for so long. "the king messed up, yeah. he didn't mean to mess up, he's not a bad guy, and he misses his family. do you think that the queen was right to just abandon the only family she had left...just because she was angry at him? even when the marriage ends, they should still try to at least strive for simply friendship, the possibly only way to patch up a relationship like that. or else the family is destroyed completely..." Sans paused for a bit, then he laughed. "bah, but what do i know? i don't know the queen. i don't know how she thinks. she stands by her choices, i'm not gonna judge her for them. just saying, she should at least give asgore a chance to help try and fix whatever family connections that might have survived the tragedy."

Toriel seemed dizzy from everything Sans said to her, and she held her head. _Does...does he know who I really am...? No, he couldn't possibly know. Unless he's simply feigning ignorance...but why would he do that...?_

Sans shrugged. "anyway, i'm gonna go to grillby's. early-morning specials, and all." He walked past Toriel out of his room and made his way downstairs. Sans knew that he may or may not have said too much about what he thinks of Toriel and her actions. It was highly risky, but that's what he was going for this time around. He was actively interacting with the variables to see if a significant change can be made. He gave her something deep and serious to think about. And that was what he was truly trying to accomplish.

...he needed more ketchup.

Toriel still stood in Sans' room, rethinking everything Sans told her. Like he promised, there was a dark cloak just her size sitting on a coat rack. She could hide her face and her robes with the darkness the cloak provided. It needed to be done if she was going to progress with lower difficulty. Though even with this new advantage in mind, she couldn't stop thinking about what Sans said. Whether he knew it or not, he was indirectly talking about her. Her family was in near irreparable condition, and it might never be the same again. No matter her feelings, she just couldn't allow her family to fall into complete tatters.

She wrapped the cloak around her shoulders and adjusted it to fit her perfectly. She shifted the hood over her head, and looked outside with her face shadowed.

"Asriel wouldn't want that..."

 **(Meanwhile)**

'Flowey' smiled and giggled as he continued to watch Papyrus try in vain to tame the giant adorable ball of fluff that was the Greater Dog. Frisk was now riding on the canine's back, so that probably did very little to help. It was then that Sans tapped him by the petal, causing him to look towards the skeleton. "Sans? What's wrong?"

"didn't want to interrupt your fun times with bro, kid. but this is major important stuff." Sans told him as he lead the small flower behind the house. When he made sure no one would watching, Sans turned towards him. "i just need to make sure that you're **_actually_** on board with this whole thing. and i'm gonna show you something that you need to keep in mind." Sans reached into his pocket and hand 'Flowey' a picture. He grabbed it by the vines and looked it over.

It was a picture of Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Sans, Papyrus, and...and _Chara._ He was sitting there, smiling that creepily cheerful smile of his, as the faces of Frisk's friends were crossed out in red. 'Flowey' stared at the picture with slightly horrified eyes. He looked up at Sans, who was patiently awaiting his reaction. "Why...?"

"In case you were wondering if we were lying about Chara being cruel enough to achieve the happy ending...and then murdering all of us. He thinks that even I wouldn't remember that. Too bad for him, that I do." Asriel flinched at the serious a tone Sans had just taken. "If there's any cliche that I refuse to let you follow like I did, is waiting at the last moment. So I'm giving you a chance to think this over for as long as you need to...ya know, until things get seriously hectic. I need you to _really_ think over this next question." Sans' eyes hollowed, to show just how serious he was about this.

 **"Do you think that someone like Chara deserves MERCY?"**

Asriel's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped slightly. "Sans...what are you...?"

"I've fought that kid countless times. Trust me when I say this, the last thing that'll work is being talked down right when you're face-to-face with him. And for added seriousness, there's only one person capable of permanently putting him down...and I'm looking at him." This did nothing to soothe Asriel's immense discomfort, despite the fact that this was something he needed to hear. "You heard me. This entire situation started with the war between humans and monsters, then it _worsened_ when Chara took advantage of you. This can also _end_ with the two of you, if you allow it to get to that point." Asriel's face drooped o his flower body.

He can't help but consider the words Sans placed upon him. There might not be anyone who can completely stop Chara except for him. Frisk can't bring himself to harm anyone. And even if he could, he would be far too weak to take on Chara, due to his lack of LOVE. Sans was strong, but he could only stall the Fallen Child for so long until he eventually gets past him. And despite how powerful he could possibly be without restraint, even Asgore wouldn't be to do anything, based on what Sans said that he didn't even try to fight on the Genocide Route. Fighting his own son would be unthinkable.

Asriel...may actually be the only one with the potential to stop Chara in his tracks for good, whether lethally or non-lethally...no wonder Sans was telling him this now. This was heavy information. Processing this at the last moment would have put him into shock.

Sans's eyes reappeared in his sockets. "I'm gonna do what I need to do. I just needed to be sure that you'll think about what _you_ might need to do. We're here to set things right for the final time...but I can understand that your relationship with Chara might make things difficult. That's why I'm telling you now while you have plenty of time." He placed his hands in his pockets and walked past Asriel. "A way to defy an Angel Of Death is to combat it with an Angel of Life...or something like that. Since Frisk refuses to actually fight considering he's a total pacifist...ya think you can fit that role, Asriel?"

Asriel's eyes widened and his head turned quickly to try and question Sans on what that last word was about, but he already vanished. His petals drooped and he stared at the snowy ground, thinking over what Sans had told him.

Yeah...it was a pretty good idea that Sans was giving him time to think over this. Asriel was the one who had to stop Chara. There's only one problem.

 _How do I do that...?_

 **(The Void...)**

Chara. The Fallen Child. The Angel Of Death. An almighty being with the powers of RESET. He had achieved victory by annihilating everything in the Underground, and succeeded in destroying the world he had grown to hate so much. And with the aforementioned power of RESET, he had the pleasure of doing it all over again as many times as he wanted. With his very first success on the Genocide Route, all other routes were under his influence. Therefore, no matter he many times he's RESET, he'd always win.

...so...why did he feel so empty? And not the emptiness that he's used to. The excitement and thrill of victory...it was all gone. He's done everything, destroyed everything, killed everyone, countless times. Even Sans grew to be incredibly predictable, which the skeleton himself noted...and he used his to mock him even when he's being defeated much more easily:

 _'hm...you look...empty. bored. totally snuffed out in the excitement department. as in...you've done this thousands of times before...and the thrill is now totally gone.' Sans grinned. 'total victory ain't what it's cracked up to be, is it? **You twisted psychotic hellspawn.** '_

The thing that Chara hated was that Sans called him out on going through the exact same thing Flowey went through. Another thing he hated was the fact that he was _right._ Chara has achieved victory in many different forms countless times, except unlike Flowey, he actually managed to achieve the Genocide Ending. And through Frisk's desperation, he had surrendered his soul to the demon in order to bring the world back...which gave him all the power he needed to end the world as many times as he wanted. Frisk's soul was visible, in Chara's Heart Locket where he kept it imprisoned. Chara has achieved Ultimate victory.

...Apparently Ultimate victory is now utterly boring.

 **"I've literally done...everything. Neutral routes. Being a goodie-two-shoes. Being myself... _everything_." ** Chara groaned, lying on his back, floating through the endless abyss. He turned his head towards someone in the shadows. **"Hey, you're smart. What do you think I should do now?"**

Alphys. Genocide Alphys. Sat in the void of space, chained to a pillar by dark magic. Her lab coat was in tatters, her left eye had a slash mark on it, and her overall appearance was what many dark events left her as. She was...merely a shell of what Alphys used to be. Completely broken, on a spiritual level.

"...why are you asking _me_?" she said, her voice full of disdain and malice. "I'm just the poor, stupid scientist, Remember?"

 **"Alphys, don't be like that. You're the only one left I can talk to, now."** On the Genocide Route, Alphys was mainly unseen by Chara because she was evacuating the monsters in Hotland, and attempted to trap him in there. But due to Muffet's foolishness, the plan failed, and the monsters were killed anyway. But for some reason...he didn't kill Alphys.

"That's because you KILLED ALL OF MY FRIENDS! _AND_ you destroyed the world countless times just because you can! And you think that you can just get away with it? Well you're WRONG!"

Chara appeared right in front of her and He brandished his knife and pointed it right towards the scientist's good eye. She didn't even flinch. **"Don't test me, Alphys. I could kill you _any_ time I want."**

"Hmph. At this point, _that's_ the greatest mercy you can offer me." Alphys smiled bitterly. "Funny, really. Suicide, I knew that was a coward's way out. But at this point it might be the only way I can see my loved ones again."

 **"Ugh! Dammit. You're so heavily broken that death is the only relief you have. You even deny me the fun of scaring you. But I can't kill you...or...or I'll be all alone again..."** Chara dissipated the knife and sat down in front of her, sighing. **"I never thought I'd say this...but this is getting tiresome. There's no sport in winning, nobody strong enough to challenge me anymore. No one to speak to except you mumbling your suicidal thoughts. That skeleton was being _real_ funny, knowing that it'd end up like this, and he laughs in my face about it even as he dies. The satisfaction...it's all gone." **He shook his head. **"** **I'm doing another Reset. Maybe I can try something else to make it more interesting."** Chara closed his eyes and attempted to Reset the world once again...

But nothing happened.

 **"...what?"**

He tried again...still nothing.

 **"No...no no no no! Why can't I Reset?!"**

Alphys smiled bitterly once again. "It looks like you've exhausted all the timelines possible. No SAVE left. No LOAD left. And especially no RESETS. You wanted total omnicide, you've accomplished just that. You've contaminated All The Neutral Routes, did the Genocide route more times than the others, and the True Pacifist route is ruined forever. Everything is gone for good this time...and it's not coming back. Except for me, whom you refused to kill this time because YOU were getting lonely after winning so many times. You're a selfish, greedy, malevolent child."

Chara grabbed his head, shaking it violently. **"You mean...the game's over? No. NO. _NO!_ The game can't be over forever! There's really nothing left?! This can't be!" **He fell to his knees, eyes widened. **"I am a being of total destruction...what do I do if there's nothing else to destroy...?"** He lifted his head...and his eyes focused on a tiny light in the distance. **"Hello...what do we have here?"**

Alphys widened her eyes. "No way...it's another timeline! But...it looks like it's completely untouched. It doesn't have a name, either. Not Pacifist, not Genocide, not even Neutral. It's...it literally says 'Unknown Route'..."

Chara grinned madly as he stood up and lifted Alphys with him. **"Well it looks like something new, and that's good enough for me! Now get moving, Alphys! We're going to that new timeline so that we can see what's on it. But this time I'm going to milk as much fun out of this as I possibly can. _I. WANT. A. CHALLENGE._ Sure, I have no idea what's gonna happen, but that's exciting! And getting there might take forever, I mean, look how FAR that is...but it builds dramatic tension, or something like that. But it'll all be worth it, soon. Alphys..how long will it take until we get there?"**

"The Void doesn't have a concept of time, moron."

 **"I needed an answer. Not an attitude."** Chara rolled his eyes as he held his Heart Locket, which contained Frisk's Soul...it looked like it was wracked in pain. **"This is quite an interesting twist, isn't it... _partner?_ " **

The clock really is ticking now...

* * *

 **Ruins and Snowdin Arc: Complete.**

 **Next Arc: Waterfall and Undyne Arc.**

 **Yep. This is how I'm doing things, apparently. I'm gonna leave because this chapter is long enough as it is. So I'll see you until then.**

 **And I do hope you're having an awesome Valentine's Day! :D**


	6. Adventures At Waterfall

**Sans: well look at that, we're back again.**

 **Me: About time, too. Real life got real hectic(grades sucked) and crappy with me for a while..but now I'm back, and ready to update!**

 **Sans: a long chapter to kick off the new arc...ya couldn't help yourself, could you?**

 **Me: (sigh) No. My thoughts just..got away from me, I suppose.**

 **Sans: tell me about it. you were working on this for a while, even if ya don't think it's super good.**

 **Me: Just doing my best.**

 **Sans: (sly grin) ya think the _big ben_** **can tell us what time he was having during his absence?**

 **Me: Oh, sure! It's...it's...(realization, glaring at Sans now)...Big Ben's hands...were stuck at bad time o'clock...**

 **Sans: heh.**

 **Me: IT"S NOT THAT FUNNY!**

 **Toriel: Hehehehe~It...it is slightly funny, my child.**

 **Me: Grrrrrrrr...**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

"kid...kid, i'm telling you this right now. you don't need to do this. i know how dedicated you are to making my brother happy, but you don't have to go so far!" Sans warned. "it's gonna take plenty of determination to push you through this one. you have plenty of other creative ways to bond with pap. ya don't have to do something this extreme."

"Please listen to him, Frisk! This objective is not worth risking your life! Not to a degree like this!" Asriel begged him as his petals shook with worry and terror. Frisk was about to attempt something that was crazy, risky and ill-advised. Even Sans was looking a bit concerned about Frisk's health when he was faced with an obstacle such as this. He and Asriel were worried that Frisk would have to LOAD if he doesn't make it through this one.

Frisk was looking ominously at the plate of spaghetti placed before him, his normal neutral expression actually taking on a look of concern, which was extremely rare. Papyrus had placed the food before him a few minutes ago, a rather hopeful look on his face...which was the main reason why Frisk didn't turn away then and there.

Papyrus made him this plate of spaghetti as a symbol that they were true friends now. Seeing just how hopeful Papyrus looked and that he genuinely worked really hard on it, as well as his own kind heart...Frisk didn't have it in him to deny Papyrus like that. Despite how far away that Papyrus' cooking was before it can even _count_ as safely edible, Frisk was **DETERMINED** to power through this and make Papyrus happy. The only problem would be if he survived the ordeal. The last plate of spaghetti he came across, it was frozen to the table, and it had absolutely no chance of leaving that table. This one...it was emitting a rather purplish aura that gave the interpretation that Papyrus had no idea that it looked toxic.

...No. No, he could do this. He had to try.

"This is gonna be terrible..." Asriel gulped, hiding his face with his flower petals.

"i can't watch." Sans threw his hood over his head and pulled the strings, closing it up and hiding his face.

Frisk turned towards his new obstacle, the spaghetti. There was no use in trying to prolong it any longer. He takes the fork in his hand, digs it into the somewhat mysterious substance, and hesitantly, but surely, slides it into his mouth...and it tool much of his extreme willpower to not spit it back out right then and there. No, he would not appear as a lier, he was that intent on making Papyrus happy. So he powered through the rest of the pasta, doing his best to keep his neutral expression intact, though he was noticeably sweating and looking more disgusted. When he was finished, he was breathing heavily and keeping himself up with his arms.

Papyrus returned to the room with Frisk holding his plate to him. He didn't seem to notice that he was doing this with the strength he had left. "HUMAN! YOU...YOU'VE EATEN EVERY SINGLE BITE?" Frisk nodded, smiling very weakly. "THIS...THIS IS FANTASTIC! NO ONE HAS EVER EATEN AN ENTIRE PLATE OF MY HOMEMADE PASTA BEFORE! WHICH MEANS...WE REALLY ARE FRIENDS, AREN'T WE?!" Papyrus jumped over to Sans and shook him side to side. "SANS! SANS! DID YOU SEE?! THE HUMAN ATE ALL OF MY PASTA! HE'S SUCH AN AMAZING FRIEND ALREADY!"

"yeah pap, i saw. and i agree." Sans said, though his voice was a bit muffled by his hood. He was genuinely surprised that Frisk was still able to stand. When the big boned skeleton tried to eat his younger siblings spaghetti, it was an instant KO for him. Ever since, he'd find methods to evade having to eat his brothers cooking without hurting his feelings. But Frisk just sat there and took it like a champ. What a strong child.

To be fair, Papyrus has gotten better...but not by a large margin.

"THIS IS FANTASTIC! I'VE FOUND A FRIEND WHO ENJOYS PUZZLES AND MY SPAGHETTI! I CAN'T WAIT TO TELL UNDYNE-" He froze. "OH. WAIT. I CAN'T TELL UNDYNE ABOUT THE HUMAN. SHE'LL HURT HIM BECAUSE HER MISSION INVOLVES CAPTURING THE HUMAN. I AM UNSURE WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS PREDICAMENT."

"don't rattle your bones about it, pap. i'm sure you'll think of something. that's how your coolness operates."

"HMMM...YOU ARE RIGHT, SANS! IT MAY BE A DIFFICULT GOAL TO REACH...BUT I WILL TRY ANYWAY. THE HUMAN AND I ARE FRIENDS NOW, SO WE SHALL DO THE SAME FOR UNDYNE! IT'S ABOUT TIME I GO MEET WITH HER ANYWAY, SO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE SEEING THE THREE OF YOU, LATER!~" Papyrus left out the door, his self-confidence beaming.

Asriel blinked. "I'm surprised he didn't notice what you said at the beginning of your sentence."

"give it a couple seconds."

...

...

...

"SAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNSSSSSSSSS!"

"there we go." Sans chuckled mischievously, taking his head out of his hood. "now that's taken care of, how are you holding up, kid?" Sans turned around to meet Frisk's face, though his own face shifted to worry when he noticed it was turning green with nausea. Frisk's endurance was admirable, but that spaghetti was relentless. "Kid...do you need to...?" The boy nodded quickly.

Toriel was just coming out of the spare room, her black robes still serving as the attire to hide her face, as well as the robes beneath that carried her family crest. She was ready to head out once again. Though this would have to wait as she noticed that Frisk was face down in a bucket, which was echoing with loud heaving. The poor boy got really sick when he forced his stomach to endure the abomination that was Papyrus's pasta, at least until he left the house. When he finally did, he couldn't take it anymore, and his stomach was rejecting the bad food, hoping it never has to go through that again. Which leads to this.

"My child! What has happened to you?!" Toriel gasped.

"the kid ate some bad spaghetti in order to make pap happy. that was quite a noble thing he did, because so far, no one's gut was left unscathed by it." Frisk heaved again into the bucket, with Sans patting his back. "it's alright, kid. you did what you could. there's no shame in it. you lasted longer than most people, that's for sure." Another heave. Sans closed his eyes. "that's right, little buddy. get it all out of your system. take your time."

Asriel noticed that his mother was in the room, and quickly shifted to his 'Flowey' face. Frisk eventually finished throwing up the horrible substance, and he lied on his back, gasping slightly for breath. Both his stomach and throat were a bit sore, but he didn't care about that. Those are things he can walk off, no problem. Papyrus was happy, and that was a good enough victory for him. Though apparently victory came at a physical price.

Frisk held his arms out to Toriel, asking to be picked up. Toriel grabbed him by his sides and held him in her arms, kissing his forehead. "Luckily I also packed some medicine for soothing an upset tummy. I'll be sure to give it to you as soon as we leave."

"hey. tori. just gonna give you a heads up." Sans got her attention. "almost forgot to mention something pretty important. there's uh...there's gonna be someone out there, someone that pap hangs out with on a daily basis..she's kinda the leader of the royal guard. and she's...uh...not too fond of humans at the moment. in fact she's...kinda having a violent streak against them due to the war. i wouldn't let the kid get too far away from you if i were you." Sans knew full well that Frisk was itching to see Undyne again, but the feelings won't be initially returned. Which was why the other times he appeared by one of the posts in order to make sure they get away from her safely.

However, now that Toriel was accompanying him, Frisk might not need Sans' help. Her motherly protectiveness can get fierce really quickly. Having multiple children die when she thinks she could have done better to prevent it...that can do bad things to a mother's mindset, besides altering it heavily. Yeah, Sans wasn't entirely necessary for this part. Unless Frisk decides to take part in the Shyren concert. He has absolutely no problem showing up for that. But everything else, he'd leave up to Tori and Asriel/Flowey.

He had some things to do at home, anyhow.

"I see...this information will be most helpful. Thank you for the assistance, Sans." Toriel said as she placed her Hood over her head, set Frisk down so he could grab 'Flowey'. "Come now, my child. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can progress." Toriel nodded as she walked outside, she would be waiting for Frisk.

Frisk picked up 'Flowey' and turned to Sans with a questioning aura. He blinked. "what? you think that i'm gonna train with undyne? kid, ya seriously want me to die so early in the game?" Frisk flinched a little. Sans realized what he said and shook his head quickly. "right right, too far. that one's a bit too much." They shook off the sudden air of negativity before it stuck to them. "anyway, with tori watching over you, she should be able to protect you from undyne while she's kinda trying to kill you. but if a piece of her memory persists, she should let up on you and giving you an easy time instead of a bad time. she's a rookie when it comes to giving people a bad time." Sans winked. "remember, kid. if you're sure there won't be any negative ramifications, don't be afraid to mix things up a little." Frisk nodded. "and asriel...be sure to remember our chat." 'Flowey' nodded nervously, looking away. Frisk pets his petals and leaves out the door, closing it behind him.

Sans sighed as he looked up towards the ceiling, rubbing his skull. "hah...i guess i better think about my powers. i gotta find a way to improve them somehow..."

 **(Outside)**

Toriel nodded as she held Frisk's hand while walking towards the path that goes to Waterfall. she had to be sure to keep her face hidden at any cost. Being recognized as the Queen, who has been missing for so many years...it would cause a large uproar that would compromise much of their movement. If Asgore discovers that she's running around with a human in tow, he would order for the Royal Guard to bring them to him, immediately. No. If she was going to face that man again, she was going to do it on her own terms. She had to keep a low profile for as long as she could.

'Flowey' meanwhile was in a closed stance, his petals covering his face as he was having a mental conversation with his inner self.

 **(Asriel's Mindscape)**

"How long are you gonna keep up this entire face-switching thing? That stuff can make me dizzy, you know. It is my face you're playing with." Flowey rolled his eyes, staring up at the goat child.

"I told you already, I have to keep my true face hidden from Mom." Asriel groaned, scratching his floppy ears. "It's not gonna sit with her very well if I revealed myself like this. Now quit asking me that question, already."

"Hmph." Flowly folded his leafy arms. "So what's next? That crazy fishwoman, right? Undyne."

"Yeah. Frisk is gonna try a new way to befriend her next...I'm hoping that she and mom don't get into a fight because she's aiming to kill Frisk at the moment. That'll blow Mom's cover for sure!"

"It'd be much more interesting to see how it goes, though. A fight between two fiery women in two different ways...a duel to the death!"

"No. NO. No death. Just a duel. Even BEFORE that, we're trying to avoid having them fight. Or more like I'M gonna try and keep them from fighting if it comes down to that." Asriel shook his head. "Weren't you even listening? I said we had to _befriend_ Undyne! Not pick a fight with her! Why am I even trying to reason with you? You're the nihilistic side of me that I can't afford to let out. You'll start wrecking things and I can't let that happen."

Flowey tilted his head. "Golly! You've sure taken the reins in this relationship. Isn't that right, _Prince_? Oh wait, you didn't get a chance to be a proper Prince, because of _your_ cowardice."

Asriel turned towards him angrily. "Following your friends is not cowardly!"

"It is if they come up with an idea that you'd get cold feet on...and you took too long in trying to apprehend that plan. And now look at what you are, a soulless flower who's desperately trying to grasp whatever sense of emotions he could possibly dig up. And at one instance you got lucky and managed to retain all of your emotions and memories...and yet you're _still_ a flower. What a fail."

"...I'm don't wanna continue this conversation, because I might say something I might regret later."

"You realize that there isn't any use in trying to hide your thoughts from me. We share the same mind and body. You're just handling the reins." Flowey sighed. "Let's be honest here, Asriel. Why even try befriending these idiots? That's the human's deal. You realize how hopeless this little 'mission' of yours is, don't you? What do you have to gain out of befriending these morons?"

Asriel kept his back turned to Flowey, as he gazed at the flowery scenery he created...as well as Mt. Cinnamon Bunny in the background. "I have nothing to gain from this. Except some really cool friends. And I'll actually be able to feel those connections and thoroughly enjoy them. And...I can even learn something from them that I haven't already. I already learned quite a lot from Sans and Papyrus."

Flowey raised his petals in irritation. "Really? Are you seriously that stupid? We've been through all the scenarios already! How can you possibly find something different to find in this timeline when I couldn't?!"

"It's simple. Out of despair and boredom, you gave up looking. I don't have that restraint now. And...I have **DETERMINATION**. And a craving for Cinnamon Buns. But mostly **DETERMINATION**."

"Yeah...I still think that obsessing over that snack just because you haven't truly enjoyed food for so long, is stupid."

"Clearly you don't understand the power that cinnamon has over me."

"IT DOESN'T HAVE POWERS YOU DOLT! IT'S FOOD! FOOD CAN'T CONTROL YOU!"

"Again. You lack understanding of the power of good food."

"Oh my god, this child..." Flowey groaned, rubbing his petals in irritation. At one point, he was under the assumption that Asriel was just messing with him...but no. He's still just a child. And absurdly stupid child(in his eyes) but a child, no less. He was still in deep regret for actually thinking that this was an interesting change of pace...no, scratch that. He was glad for a change of pace, but he didn't know that it would be like _this_. It didn't help that despite him knowing how Asriel thinks, it's what the boy _does_ that throws everything out of order for him. If he couldn't enjoy it, he didn't want it. But it was no longer in his control. Asriel wrenching that away from him was the first thing he did, so he couldn't sabotage their attempts to grasp a better future.

Clever boy.

"Welp. This was yet another good-not so good-talking session, Flowey. If you're all good here..."

Flowey tilted his head. "Of course I'm all good here, moron. I can't really go anywhere."

"Right. Good talk."

"Hold it." Flowey stopped him, his eyes slightly narrowed. "Asriel...did you feel a disturbance?" The boy blinked at him strangely, and Flowey scowled. "Don't play dumb with me, I know how these things work. We've played with time so many times with so many different outcomes that we gained the ability to sense when something is seriously out of place. Or that someone is messing with something that they really shouldn't be." Flowey faked a cheerful smile. "Like us, for instance!"

"Get to the point, Flowey."

"Fine." He rolled his eyes again. "Someone else is out there trying to drastically alter this timeline as well. The difference being that whoever that person is, they're not here yet." Asriel didn't know if it was really true or not, but Flowey didn't have a reason to lie about a scenario like this, not with his consciousness being stuck here. "And if it's who we think it is, you might be in serious trouble. Either that or you'd get your wish."

Asriel sighed a little. He hoped it wasn't who he thought it was. Sans was speaking to him about this, he didn't have the mindset to worry about this right now. "...I'll keep an eye out, Flowey. Thanks."

"D-Don't go thanking me, moron! I'm watching out for myself! But if you get wiped out, I'll get wiped out too! Why'd you have to take control over me?!"

"Because I don't trust you."

"Oh yeah, that." Flowey said blankly in realization. Asriel then left the dreamscape, leaving the flower alone again.

 **(Real World)**

'Flowey' opened his eyes as he looked to see Frisk and Toriel still holding one another's hand, while Frisk carries the flower in his other arm. It was then that he remembered that they were heading to Waterfall. He also remembered that they were supposed to avoid conflict with Undyne since she was an enemy of Frisk at the moment. He didn't think that far ahead to actually figure out _how_ to avoid conflict with her.

 _"Dummy."_

 _I don't need this from you right now._

'Flowey' sprouted upwards when he heard Frisk encounter someone along the way. He was surprised to see that he's officially meeting up with Monster Kid. Frisk has noticeably made the choice to become closer with him, seeing as they are a fellow child like them. Bonding with someone among their age would be a cool idea.

"Yo! You're a kid too, right? I can tell 'cause you're wearing a striped shirt."

 _"Yeah...that logic never made sense to me."_

 _But I have a striped shirt and I'm a kid._

 _"That's a coincidence."_

 _So does Chara._

 _"Ugh..."_

 _...I'm suddenly thinking of 'Earth' and 'Bound' put together._

 _"Earthbound? Wha...what the hell is an Earthbound?!"_

Asriel and Flowey mentally continued their strange debate on striped shirts and children. While they were doing that, Frisk kept holding onto him and his pot as he and Monster Kid had a friendly chat. Toriel was happy that Frisk was making friends his age so quickly. Still, she made sure her face stayed hidden under her hood.

"So you've met Sans and Papyrus already, huh? Yeah, those two are weird. Like...super weird. But...Snowdin became much happier and cheerful when they came along."

"Is that so?" Toriel asked. She didn't feel the need to hide her voice, no one in this area would recognize it.

"Yeah! Some say that they just showed up out of nowhere one day, and people say that for the first couple of years they stayed here when they were really young, that they had a hard time. But then Undyne came and managed to help them out as much as she could! She's the coolest!" Frisk blinked at this new information. He was aware that Sans and Papyrus knew Undyne very well. But he didn't know for how long. Probably before she met Alphys.

"Oh dear...their younger years sounded quite difficult." Toriel said a bit sadly. The thought of nice people like Sans and Papyrus having rough lives before their times in Snowdin really bothered her. Especially since the former kept her company during her lonely years in the Ruins, even if they never officially met face to face until just recently.

"Yeah! Undyne helped them build themselves up by offering them jobs as sentries! Though Sans almost never does his job for some reason..."

"Probably because he's lazy." 'Flowey' shrugged. "I mean, bring brothers to Papyrus is probably a big reason for why he still has the job. I wouldn't know any other reasons if there are any."

"Yeah, that's probably it." Kid shrugged. It would be easier to recognize if he had arms...too bad he doesn't. "Anyway...Undyne. You snuck out so you could see her, did you? Me too!"

"Snuck out...? As in you didn't notify your parents about this little scheme of yours?" Toriel reprimanded, folding her arms as her red eyes stared down at Kid, though her face was still hidden. This, with the somewhat fiery red eyes, made him tremble in a bit of fear.

"Um...please don't tell my parents. They'll flip out if they knew I snuck out, then I'll get in trouble, and my sister will rub it in my face!" Kid lowered his head. "I just wanted to see Undyne...I'm sorry, Ms. Hooded Lady..." Frisk walked up to him and patted his back, making him look up to him. "H-Huh...? You DID want to see Undyne?" Suddenly, Kid's face was bright again, his tail wagging adorably, like a dog. "Hahaha! I knew it! Anyway, she usually patrols somewhere around here! She's just far too cool to miss out on. I'll show you the way, come on!" Kid turned and ran, then fell on his face. He recovered after a few moments, then continued running.

Toriel, as long as he wasn't hurt by the fall, couldn't help but note how cute that looked. She sighed as she realized what was happening. But it was too late to stop it, as she saw the **determined** look on his face. And he was shaping it to look adorable as he looked into her eyes, pleading with her to let them go on this small adventure. She sighed, kneeled down and petted his head softly. "Oh alright. You can go with him to see this...Undyne, my child. However, I will stay a few paces behind you so that I can observe any possible dangers that might come to being." Frisk seemed incredibly happy with this, as he kissed her cheek then ran off excitedly to catch up with Monster Kid. Toriel smiled as she touched the spot he kissed her by. Then she stood back up and pulled her hood over her head again, then went over to follow them.

"Hey, is that hooded lady your mom or something?" Frisk's latest companion asked him curiously. He nodded proudly, and Toriel's smile widens because of it. "Oh. Can I see her face?" Frisk shakes his head, making an excuse for it. "She's shy? Well...okay. I guess I can understand that." Frisk nodded to him. It wasn't the full truth, and yet he wasn't lying, either. It was a very thin, grey line between them. Sans was an expert at doing stuff like that. "Oh, and another thing...what's with the flower?"

"Hi! I'm Flowey! Flowey The Flower!" 'Flowey' tilted his head sideways, sticking his tongue out innocently.

 _"What have you done to me...I'm supposed to be terrifying. Not cute and innocent. TERRIFYING!"_

"Oh cool! A talking flower!" Kid exclaimed, looking up to Frisk with sparkling eyes. "That's so awesome!"

Toriel smiled under hood. _They're bonding rather quickly. Maybe I can convince his parents to have little playdates with Frisk on many occasions. Of course I have to meet them first. It's a good idea._

Eventually, they came across a patch of tall grass. Frisk nodded in understanding, this was it. He gently handed Flowey to Toriel, grabbed her paw as well as Kid's shirt, and hid into the grass. Frisk quietly hushed them before they can question him about his actions. Instead, he pointed towards the cliffs.

"H...HI, UNDYNE!" Papyrus's voice was easily recognizable. "I'M HERE WITH MY DAILY REPORT...UH...REGARDING THE SEARCH FOR THE 'EVIL' HUMAN..." Frisk and Asriel noted the change in dialogue, and how he regarded Frisk. Because _technically_ he DID see a human, but not an _evil_ one. They were very grateful, yet at the same time they hoped that Papyrus didn't get chastened for not telling the full truth. Because if he tried lying, he'd inevitably yet intentionally give Frisk away. "I...DID NOT FIND THE EVIL VILE HUMAN...AH, BUT I ASSURE YOU, IF I DID SEE ONE, I WOULD CERTAINLY FIGHT THEM VALIANTLY! AFTER ALL, THAT IS OUR MISSION!" They heard something they couldn't completely understand. Then Papyrus gasped."W-WHAT...? YOU...YOU THINK THEY ARE SOMEWHERE IN WATERFALL? WAIT...YOU _KNOW_ THAT THE HUMAN IS HERE SOMEWHERE? YOU CAN FEEL IT? AND WHEN YOU FIND SAID HUMAN, YOU'LL TAKE THE SOUL YOURSELF?"

Frisk and 'Flowey' stared at one another in concern. They forgot that even after a RESET, all of their friends would still have vague memories of their happy times with Frisk. It was evident with Toriel and Papyrus. Sans was pretty obvious. So of course, Undyne would vaguely remember where exactly she first met Frisk. Toriel narrowed her eyes, the 'taking the SOUL' part didn't appeal very well to her.

"BUT...BUT UNDYNE...EVEN IF YOU DO FIND THE HUMAN...WHAT IF..WHAT IF THEY AREN'T EVIL LIKE YOU THINK THEY ARE? WHAT IF..." Papyrus shifted towards the patch of grass and spotted Frisk. His jaw opened and closed for a second, then he shook his head. "NO...THAT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY. I'LL HELP YOU IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN." Papyrus quickly but nervously walks away from the scene. Undyne slowly shifted her head to where Papyrus looked, but Frisk ducked hidden in the grass to avoid being seen, and did not move. After a few tense moments, she disappeared into the shadows, the loud clanks of her armor echoing a bit, not seeing her target.

Toriel held Frisk's hand as she and the others walked out of patches of grass. MK followed, becoming a bit giddy. "Yo! She was totally looking at this!Course she didn't know it...BUT IT WAS AWESOME ANYWAY! Ha ha. Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" MK ran off...after tripping and falling on his face. He recovered easily and kept running.

"Child! Don't go running off like that!" Toriel shouted. Frisk smiled as he ran off after his new friend, causing Toriel to sigh and pinch her nose. "Not again..."

"You can't blame him for it. Frisk is very energetic for his age." 'Flowey' said while playfully sticking his tongue out.

"I suppose so, Flowey..."

Being held by his mother, even in a flower pot, was very pleasant for 'Flowey' as he makes clear with his much more relaxed look when in her arms. As much as he could, he would enjoy his regained emotions, even as a flower.

Suddenly he shivered up a bit. "My creep-o meter just started ringing in my head..."

"Creep-EEK!" Toriel started, before turning around and Aaron appeared before her, making her jump backwards.

"Woaaaah! Sorry man! ;)" Aaron backed up a little. "...wait a minute...that wasn't the surprised sound of a man...could there be a lovely lady under that hood? ;)"

"N-N-No! Of course not! *ahem* There's no lovely lady here! Not anywhere my eyes can see!" Toriel tried in vain to make her voice deeper. 'Flowey's' response was to sigh and facevine in embarrassment.

"Ah, come on. Don't be shy around me. ;)" Aaron winked, causing a very uncomfortable shiver to go through Toriel's being Aaron honestly wasn't a bad person. But the way and manner of his speech...are less than welcome with open arms. "Why don't ya take off the hood so we can meet face to face for real? ;)"

Toriel instinctively clutched her hood over her head. "Apologies, but I must not show you my face. I do not mean to sound rude...but you're disturbing me. Greatly."

"It seems you're actively trying to avoid showing your face...a face of beauty, perhaps? Mind showing me? ;)" Aaron leaned towards her, causing her to back up.

"No, really, there's nothing to see!" Toriel panicked, waving her paws in front of her rapidly.

Aaron was about to speak again, but he stopped in his tracks, as overwhelming fear took over his entire being. His eyes widened as he frantically looked around for the source.

 **"hiya aaron. nice day we're havin', huh?"** Sans appeared right behind him, his eyes completely hollow as he grinned widely. **"ya wouldn't be bothering this dear lady friend of mine, were you?"**

"N-N-No Sans! I wasn't trying to bother her or anything like that!" Aaron, shivering and too afraid to look around at Sans.

 **"really now? because it looks to me that she looks a bit uncomfortable with the way you're talkin' to her and how close you are. bounadries, aaron. ya gotta learn about personal space."**

"Y-Yeah...I...I'll remember that..."

 **"i know ya ain't a bad guy, aaron. but i can't have ya botherin' my friend here. why dontcha take the hint and _musclebound_ off, huh? you wouldn't want t**-hey, the kid's challenging you to a flexing contest." Sans' grin instantly became less hostile and more relaxed as he pointed at Frisk. Aaron gasped as he saw the boy flex weakly and with a confident aura surrounding him.

"What?! You think you can flex more than me, little man? Well then, challenge accepted!"

Toriel, MK, Sans, and 'Flowey' watched with a mix of astonishment, confusion, and slight horror as Frisk and Aaron flexed repeatedly in different poses. To deepen their astonishment, Frisk still kept his neutral expression the entire time.

"Sans...I'm surprised by how quickly your tone of voice changed." Toriel said, her face still shifted in confusion at Frisk's actions.

"i picked up that trick from meeting lots of people. aaron wasn't bothering ya, was he? he's genuinely a good guy. he just needs serious lessons in boundaries." Sans shrugged.

"Oh. Well, I was more worried that he'd figure out my true identity...but yes, his presence combined with his words, made me a bit uncomfortable."

"well then, good thing i caught up with you, huh?"

"I thought she was gonna roast him." 'Flowey' admitted, turning his head towards the flexing contest going on before them. He sweatdropped when Aaron suddenly flexed thrice as hard, so much that he began floating up to the rocky ceiling...and promptly hit his head. "Why...? WHY?"

"looks like aaron became _air_ ron."

Toriel's immediate response was to laugh, while Sans took a bow. Frisk seemed to bask in his default victory as he walked up and picked up Flowey's flowerpot, and continued onward to follow MK.

Along the way, Frisk got himself cleaned up by a passing Woshua who seemed more than excited to clean Frisk up when he said he was okay with it. All that sweat that Aaron got from flexing too hard made it's way to Frisk, and he wanted to be rid of it as soon as possible. Needless to say that Toriel was very grateful to him. Although he was left smelling like lemons for a while.

A bit of walking after that, Toriel came across Onionsan in a large pool in one of the paths. Despite how happy and cheerful she looked, she was able to sense the immense loneliness beneath it all. So she sat down next to the pool and talked with Onionsan for hours. Despite being unable to see Toriel's face, Onionsan was soothed by her care and warmth, and how engaged she was in the conversation about one day being able to move in roomier waters. When it was time to go, Toriel kissed Onionsan on the head and waved goodbye as the group continued onward.

Sans' grin widens. "i hope onionsan gets to meet more of her kind one day."

"I do too, Sans."

"yep. then we name them onion _sans_."

"Sans, oh my goodness." Toriel giggled under her hood.

Afterwards, Frisk and 'Flowey' came across a rather shy creature, by the name of Shyren. She was awfully shy about her singing, so Frisk and 'Flowey' focused on building up her confidence first. Frisk and 'Flowey' would hum to her a couple times first to get her to face them with a smile. After a few broken notes, she grew more confident with the following verses, and got louder after each one. Monsters then began gathering around, cheering them on and encouraging them. Sans was in the very back, selling everybody tickets...with toilet paper. Toriel was very confused about that.

Soon enough, the monsters began to disperse, leaving the group behind. Sans counted all of the gold earned while Frisk and Shyren hugged and waved goodbye. While they made an excellent team, they had to go their separate ways, now. Someday, they might meet again.

"hey tori. i think we're short a person." Sans pointed out. Indeed, during all of the commotion from the concert, MK had run off all by himself again.

"Oh dear! Didn't I already say he can't go running off like that?!" Toriel gasped as she took Frisk by the hand while he swiftly picks up 'Flowey' and begins speed walking. "Come, my child! Before your friend gets lost in this mess!"

"yeah. don't wanna get his parents worked up like tori here."

Toriel kept walking fast, hanging onto Frisk as they traversed down the path, when a shining beam of light was seen in front of them. It was surrounding something that was sitting in a rather depressed position with it's head down and horn's up. For some reason, she stopped in front of the statue the second she saw it. 'Flowey' had gone completely silent by then. Toriel looked at the statue and placed a paw on top of it.

"What is this statue...? The light is from the surface, and it shines down on this one statue..." She asked softly, almost petting it. She didn't know why. Frisk took the chance to sneak away for a bit in order to grab a nearby umbrella from the bin of umbrellas nearby.

Sans took a gamble, and decided to tell her. "from what i heard...this is a memorial that asgore had built in his personal time. a memorial to the Fallen Prince, Asriel Dremurr."

Toriel felt her heart clench at the mention of her first and biological son. 'Flowey' just stared at the ground.

"after the queen had left with the human child's body to give it a proper burial as well as never be seen again, asgore took it upon himself to have something made that will honor the kid's memory. this statue was supposed to be that honor. unfortunately, it looks like it's seen better days." He looked to the side. "hey. the kid has an umbrella."

"Huh...?" Toriel looked to see Frisk holding an umbrella in his hands. When he reached the statue, he was careful to out it in a spot where it won't fall off on it's own. All of a sudden, gears shifted around, there was a soft sound of sand falling off, and when those noises ended, a melody began playing from the statue. Toriel's eyes widened. "It...it can't be..."

"what can't be?" Sans asked her. Although he was aware that this statue was important to her, the song being familiar to her was new for him.

Toriel didn't answer him yet, as the song continues to play throughout the silence of the cavern. Her eyes still glued to the statue in disbelief, as she began to remember...

 **(Play "Memory" for flashback)**

 _"Come now, Asriel! Give Daddy a break, here!" Asgore begged as he held his infant child in his arms. The newborn baby, Asriel, was in green and yellow striped pj's that Toriel thought would be adorable on him. Though he has been crying for quite a while now, beginning in the middle of the night. And no matter what the king tried, he couldn't calm the child down. He sighed in exhaustion and ran one paw down his face. "Golly..."_

 _Toriel yawned softly as she got up from her side of the bed, walking over to Asgore with her paws on her hips, along with a sly smile. "Having a bad time, King Fluffybuns?"_

 _"Yes, Tori...I just can't seem to get Asriel to stop crying. Maybe...this is something that requires a little more of a 'motherly' touch?"_

 _"...Do you need my help?"_

 _"Yes ma'am."_

 _"Oh boy...alright, give him to me." Asgore handed Toriel the crying child, and she held him in her arms with a soft smile. "My my, you're awfully cranky tonight, my child. Perhaps you've had a nightmare of sorts? Because it isn't hunger making you this way. Hmm...what to do...what to do..." She tapped her foot a couple times, then smiled. "Ha, I got it!" Toriel sat on the side of the bed, as Asgore sirs next to them. She holds Asriel closer to her face, closes her eyes..._

 _And begins to hum._

 _Toriel calmly hummed a soft, slow melody that was enough to make Asgore visibly less tense. Asriel continues to cry, but she was a very patient, loving, understanding mother, so she knew this would take a bit of time._

 _Asgore watched intently as Asriel's cries became quieter with time, as well as his tears were beginning to stop as well. His tiny fuzzy paws wiped his tears away clumsily before he finally opened them to look at his beloved mother. His eyes were now wide and filled with curiosity instead of sadness, and his mouth formed a small 'O' shape. Nevertheless, Toriel continued to hum to him quietly. Soon enough, his eyelids began to feel heavy, as he stubbornly tried to keep them open. However, he lost the struggle, as they closed completely. Soon, only the sounds of his soft breathing were heard from him now. Toriel slowed down her humming, until she stopped and opened her eyes to see that her child has fallen into slumber. She smiled as she pulled him closer to her chest, and he automatically nuzzles his head to it, her heartbeat lulling him into sleep for sure._

 _"That...that was beautiful, Toriel. How did you come up with a melody like that...?" Asgore asked her as his eyes were glued to the sleeping child._

 _"I tend to hum in my head and sometimes out loud while I'm out getting groceries. After a couple of runs, this just came up in my head, and I've been humming it to myself ever since when I'm reading about snails. I figured...why not use it as a lullaby? Turns out I was right to do so, as it's gotten excellent results." Toriel leaned in and kissed Asriel's forehead, then back to Asgore and kissed his muzzle. "Come now, dear...back to bed."_

 _He smiled and nodded softly. "Say, Tori..do you think...you can teach me how to hum that melody? You know...so that I can be able to lull him asleep if you're not around?"_

 _"Of course. I guess I can give you a little TuTORIEL on humming the melody." She chuckled and closed eyes. "However...it'll cost you."_

 _"Cost me...? Cost me what?"_

 _Toriel opened one of her eyes slyly. "You're on diaper duty for the entirety of next week. Goodnight." She climbed into bed, draped her arm over baby Asriel, and pretended to be asleep under the covers. Asgore sweatdropped as his eyes turned into white dinner plates, and he looked ready to cry. He reached his paws out and began to shake Toriel gently but desperately._

 _"T-T-The ENTIRETY of next week?! Come now, show some MERCY, Tori! You're not actually gonna leave ALL of the dirty diapers to me for a week?!"_

 _"I can't hear you. I'm currently in Dreemurr land~"_

 _"Toriiiiiii..."_

 **(Flashback and music end)**

"tori? tori...? you're crying..."

Toriel's paws went up and covered her mouth, as streams of tears ran down her cheeks. That melody...ever since she created that melody, it became Asriel's favorite song to fall asleep to. Whenever he couldn't sleep, she would come into his room, hug him softly, and hum this song to him until he falls asleep. Then she'd kiss his cheek and tuck him back in. Asgore tried his best to learn the melody from her, though he realized that he wouldn't be as good as her when it came to it. And yet...he put the melody in a music box...inside this statue so people won't forget...

Toriel eventually snapped out of her reminiscing, and wiped her tears. "I'm...I'm fine. Come, my child. We must go and find your friend." She adjusted her hood and continued onward. Frisk picked up 'Flowey' and followed her, as did Sans after he shrugged and decided to not push the issue. They walked in silence for a while because of this discovery.

"...I want to hug her, Frisk..." 'Flowey' whispered silently. He rose his head up to meet Frisk's eyes, switched to his Asriel face. His eyes were shining with tears. "As Asriel... in my actual body...I want to hug her so badly, and tell her how much I missed her...but just can't..." Frisk nodded in understanding, as he pets the flower's petals softly.

...Frisk's hope that the Dreemurr Family will be truly whole again one day...it fills him with **DETERMINATION.**

* * *

 **Welp, this is how we're doing this. Short arcs, long chapters. Probably, I dunno. I'm sometimes inconsistent, because I tend to take things overboard. Oh Well. Next time, we get to see Undyne actually do something. And Toriel...might react poorly to it.**

 **And maybe...JUST MAYBE...high school will cut me a break. Either that or my grades just need to get better.**

 **Sans: yep. ya need a total _up_ grade.**

 **Me: Exact...(realization...)**

 **Sans: (Wide grin, snickering mischievously)**

 **Me: Sans...get out.**


	7. Garbage Dump and Old Man Gerson

**This new chapter fills me with DETERMINATION! The hope that it's a good one, also fills me with DETERMINATION! The fact that this story has plenty of reviews, as well as so many favorites and follows(to me, anyway) AND was added to a community, very much fills me with DETERMINATION!**

 **Frisk:...*cheerful thumbs up***

 **Me: Haha! I nailed it!**

 **Sans: here we are. another somewhat long chapter i dunno maybe but i'm not too sure probably thingie.**

 **Me: What was that supposed to be?**

 **Sans: sansglish.**

 **Me:...**

 **Sans: ;D**

 **Me: ...darn you. Just...darn you, Sans.**

 **Next Chapter Initiated!**

* * *

Sans sighed as he recognized that the anxious silence has almost completely taken over. Looking at that statue and listening to the familiar song that played when it turns out there was a music box inside...Toriel has become noticably quieter. So was 'Flowey'. And both for very good reasons. One because it was a memorial to her son, and the other because he had forgotten that this statue was for hi,m, and it played his favorite song. It downplayed the atmosphere a couple levels, and the only one not affected by it was Frisk. If anything, he was doing whatever he could to lighten everyone up while they searched for Monster Kid. But first, he took another umbrella and asked for Toriel to pick him up again. A soft smile managing to grace her muzzle, she complies, holding him in one arm while the other holds the umbrella over them. 'Flowey' was still being carried safely by Frisk.

"I...do apologize for the silence, my child. I was just reminded of something that I didn't think I'd experience for a long time." Toriel said gently as she stared at the child in her arm, watching him lie his head comfortably on her bosom. He seemed to have taken a comfort of listening to her heartbeat while relaxing. Toriel was...a bit stunned that Asgore would remember the entire melody and put it in a music box, and then in a memorial statue. If he placed one in that statue, then he must have one for himself. She wasn't entirely sure about that. It just felt like it was something he might keep. As a parent trying desparately to honor the memory of their deceased child.

Said child was right in Frisk's arms, as a flower. Though he couldn't tell her that, not so soon. If at all. Part of it stemmed from the possible outcome that she wouldn't believe that it was actually him. Though the prospect may sound a bit preposterous, he was not brave enough to actually test it. The other would be the possibility that the reunion would be short-lived...painfully short-lived. Asriel was far too afraid of the outcome to show his actual face around her. Whether it'd be out of cowardice or fear of the possible consequences, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Flowey may rub this in his face, but he couldn't care less about what he had to say at the moment.

Sans easily recognized the short time that 'Flowey' was uncomfortable with the memories flooding in due to the music box. The same went for Toriel, and he knew it was for the same reason. It they were going to break this silence, they would need a good enough distraction to pull them away from the subject.

Sans phone began to ring, and he picked it out of his pocket. It was Papyrus. Perfect. "what's up, bro?"

"MANY THINGS ARE 'UP' DEAR BROTHER. I HAVE TAKEN IT UPON MYSELF TO STALL UNDYNE FROM FINDING THE HUMAN. WE ENDED UP CHASING A DOG! THE DOG STOLE MY PRIZED SCARF, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!" Sans chuckled slightly. "IT'S NOT FUNNY, SANS! THAT SCARF GOES ALONG WITH MY BATTLE BODY! IT'S INCOMPLETE AND NOT AS GREAT WITHOUT IT! SO I ASKED UNDYNE TO HELP ME CHASE IT DOWN, BUT IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE!"

Toriel had a deep feeling that it was the same dog that took her phone while she temporarily left Frisk alone in the Ruins to make preparations on the house.

The Annoying Dog certainly lives up to it's name.

"LUCKILY FOR YOU GUYS, UNDYNE ISN'T ONE TO GIVE UP A CHALLENGE! SO WHILE SHE'S BUSY CHASING THE DOG, YOU CAN GET THE HUMAN PAST THE AREAS SHE USUALLY PATROLS!"

"wow. that's actually a great convenience for us. thanks for helping us out, bro."

"IT WAS NOTHING TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS, BROTHER! AND IT WAS MERELY BAD LUCK, AND I DIDN'T HAVE TO LIE ABOUT IT! NYEHEHEHEHEHEH!"

"yep. well, gotta go, bro. i'm about to _scarf_ down a couple of cinnamon bons."

"AH, WELL DON'T SPOIL YOUR DI-" Sans chuckled at the deep silence on the other line. "SAAAAAAAAAAAAA-"

 _Click..._

Sans pocketed the phone. "good news, pals. papyrus made sure a couple paths won't become hindered by our human-hunting friend. so we have plenty of options for a clear shot through waterfall."

"Oh my...that's actually pretty amazing of your brother to give us options of a safe path." Toriel smiled. "Just for curiosity's sake, what are our options?"

"there's are bridges on the middle path, but there's a chance that undyne might finish her search and we'll get cornered there. because there's no place to hide while on those bridges. on the other hand, we can take a lower path that leads to the dumps. smells really bad and is filled with a lotta garbage, but she won't be able to reach us there. so i suggest that after we do a bit of travel with the monster kid, we head there. there will be a couple hostile monsters, but it'll still be safer than facing undyne head-on."

"Sounds very filthy...but if it's the route with the least amount of risk, then I guess that's where we'll go." Frisk tugged a little on her hood, gaining her attention. "Hm? What is it, my child?" Frisk pointed ahead to see MK sitting around in a corner. When he sees the group approaching, he immediatelt acknowledges them.

"Yo! You guys got an umbrella! Sweet!" He cheered.

"You had us very worried, running off like that." Toriel scolded gently.

"Oh...sorry about that. Guess I got a bit too excited. Anyway, I'm gonna stay close to you guys this time. As close as I possibly can! So let's go!"

Toriel handed the umbrella to Frisk, as she and Sans put their hoods on to block out the rain, as the human child held the umbrella over himself and his friend. The two older monsters took time to hang back a little so they could give the children spare room to chat, while still being within listening distance.

"Man, Undyne is sooooooo cool. She beats ups bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night...knowing she was gonna beat me up! Ha ha!" Frisk chuckled alongside him as they walked down a narrow path. MK then passed by an Echo Flower and continued speaking: "So, one time, we had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The King-we had to call him "Mr. Dreemurr"- volunteered to donate his own flowers." Toriel's eyes noticably flashed when she heard this. "He ended up coming to school and teachinf the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking...YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school?! She could beat up ALL the teachers! Ummm...okay, maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers...she's too cool to ever hurt an innocent person!" Frisk nodded as he steadied the umbrella a bit better.

They then walked through another entrance and passed through a familiar cave, at least familiar to Toriel. It filled with glowing crystals that lit up the entire cavern easily, and the castle was visible even from such a faraway distance. Toriel lowered her eyes slightly as she walked by, the familiarity of the castle never leaving her. And to think, she would have to make her way over there, soon. If she truly has to face Asgore again...

As soon as they passed that area, they reached a steep cliff. Sans figured that now would be a good time to branch paths. "alright everybody, this is where i introduce you to our detour. we don't want to run into any...complications if we meet undyne."

"So what will we do?" Toriel asked. Sans walked into the middle and shrugged his shoulders.

"everyone just get close to me and close your eyes. i know a shortcut."

Toriel blinked in curiosity, but got closer to him while holding onto Frisk who was hanging onto 'Flowey', as did MK. As Sans requested, they all closed their eyes and waited patiently. They felt a sudden, abrupt shift around them for a couple of seconds. Then they heard Sans shuffle around a bit. Toriel wrinkled her snout a little at the different smells now reaching her, and she opened her eyes. They were at the Garbage Dump alright.

Toriel blinked owlishly. She then swiveled around and pointed at Sans. "AHAH! You DO have teleportation magic!"

"alright. ya got me." Sans raised his hands in surrender.

"So? How does it work?"

"sorry, tori. that's my little secret. we all have em'."

"Awww...you're no fun."

"inaccurate. because we have _puns of fun._ "

This sent the duo into another giggling fit, which served as a rather nice distraction from the gloomy atmosphere that the Garbage Dump was emitting. Well...it probably isn't gloom that's overshadowing the entire dump. That was most likely just the unpleasant smell surrounding them.

It IS a dump, after all.

Frisk searched around the dump for a bit as Toriel picked him up once again. "Now now, my child. Let's not have you trudging through that filthy water. You wouldn't want Woshbu's efforts to clean you, would you?"

"oh come on, tori. you're not seriously going that far just to make sure the kid avoids the filthy water, are you?" Sans asked with a chuckle.

"Frisk has just been cleaned. Even though we're in the dump right now, I'm trying to keep him as clean as I possibly can. Which means shielding him from this water."

"ah jeez. ya act like something will jump out at him and drag him under. i told you that i'd protect him. nothing is gonna harm him with me around."

Toriel sighed quietly, putting away the umbrella since they were no longer under the rain. "I know, Sans. It's just...I don't know if I've told you this already, but I haven't been outside the Ruins in years. I don't know what to expect out here, with Frisk always being in possible constant danger due to being targeted for his SOUL...I'm very concerned..."

"and that's why ya have me as a guide and as a bodyguard for the kid. very few monsters know the underground better than i do. you stick with me, we should be just fine." Sans trudged through the water as Toriel and Monster Kid followed closely behind. "hm...i have the feeling that someone is watching us..."

"Really? Who?"

"What the. What the?! WHAT THE?! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Frisk turned to the side where the group sees Mad Dummy appear from out of the water, looking...well...it's in his name, right? "YOU ALL ARE TRAVELING WITH A HUMAN?!"

"Oh dear. Look Frisk. He kind of looks like the Dummy back in the Ruins." Toriel pointed out. "However, this one seems a lot more expressive about his feelings...and I'm getting a very hostile vibe from him..." Frisk informs her that Mad Dummy is a distant cousin of the Dummy in the Ruins. "Oh really? That's pretty interesting. If I had known, I would have brought him with us."

"You still didn't answer my question!"

"oh, yeah. you did ask us a question, didn't ya?" Sans asked. "let's see...um...yeah."

"Okay...WHY?!"

"we want to."

 **"WHY?!"**

"because we like this human. you can't take his SOUL, dude. sorry, but we gotta move on."

"Wait...did he just say that he's a human?" Kid asked, turning towards Frisk with a confused expression. "You're...you're for real a human? But...but...how...?" He shook his head. "Monsters have always been saying that humans are super mean and they hurt everyone they touch. But...you're actually pretty cool and stuff..." He mumbled, looking down. He didn't have any idea how to properly react to this bit of news. "I mean, we've only been hanging out for a little while and I already think you're super cool...but you're human. Undyne hates humans. But...I don't want to hate you..."

"Then don't." Toriel said softly, placing a hand on his head. "You don't have to hate someone just because someone you idol does. Thats a decision for you yourself to make. Do you idolize this Undyne person enough to stop being friends with Frisk?"

Kid looked up at Toriel, then towards Frisk, who was holding 'Flowey' in his arms while patiently awaiting his answer. He thought over whether to cut his early bond with Frisk in order to get closer to Undyne, or to stick by his new human friend. He looked genuinely conflicted by this, because Frisk turned out to be so much different than he expected a human to be. Frisk has been nothing but completely nice to him. Why would he want to hate him? Truth be told, he couldn't bring himself to do it. And even if he did, he had a feeling that Frisk wouldn't return the favor, and continue to be kind.

 _It seems like he's going to seal his friendship with MK early._ Asriel thought, tilting himself sideways as his petals still rustled a bit due to Mad Dummy still glaring at all of them.

MK looked up at Frisk and shook his head. "I don't want to hate you, I want to keep being your friend. Maybe...maybe we can convince Undyne that you're not a bad human. I mean, humans can't ALL be bad, if someone like you is one of them." Frisk nodded, he was very interested in befriending Undyne, and would like MK's help in befriending her. There was a chance that he could not do it alone. "You think we can be friends with Undyne if we run into her...? Yo! That's an awesome idea! We gotta go for that!"

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Mad Dummy yelled irritably. "Befriend a human? Befriend a human?! No. No! NO! This is a bad idea and you know it, Sans! You're actually trying to keep this human safe?! You'd be going against the entire Underground if that's truly your choice!"

"You might want to watch yourself." Toriel said with a slight warning glare from her fiery red eyes under the shadow of her hood, instinctively pulling Frisk closer to her.

"No, YOU should watch yourself, hooded person! Our very last human SOUL that we need to cross the Barrier waltzes into our grasp and you wish to protect the human instead?! Foolish. Foolish! FOOLISH!" Mad Dummy raised a knife...Frisk still cannot understand how he does that without arms. "If you refuse to hand him over, I'LL TAKE THE SOUL MYSELF!"

Toriel snarled viciously at Mad Dummy, keeping Frisk close to her as fire began picking up around her...

 **"hey. dum-dum. relax a little, will ya?"** Mad Dummy froze up as he suddenly stopped advancing. Fear has kept him in place for a couple moments, as he stared at Sans. His grin was wide, and his eyes went hollow. Mad Dummy didn't really understand Sans as much as other monsters did, but he was aware that he's never seen him like this. Sure, Sans just told him to call down. But the killing intent focused just on him told him something else entirely:

 _Lay harm on this nice lady and the kid. I **dare** ya. You won't like what happens to you afterwards. _

"Er...um...maybe I won't...do anything to the human..." Mad Dummy sweated nervously from Sans' look, and he put the knife away. "But guess what...IT DOESN'T MATTER! Undyne will take the human's SOUL herself, and she's won't be intimidated by you! Better say goodbye to your precious little human while you still can! HAHAHAHA-"

 _ **FWOOSH!**_

"GAH!" He moved out of the way of an incoming fireball, ducking under the water to dodge it. He popped back out, flabbergasted. "What the heck!? You could have set me on fire! Are you crazy?!"

"Begone." Toriel said simply. She gave off the impression that the other fireball was merely a warning shot, and Mad Dummy had a feeling that she wouldn't miss a second time if he choice to act against them again. He couldn't even identify her because of her hood obscuring her face. So he had little choice but to surrender and retreat away.

"Fine! Be that way, you stupid hooded JERK FACE!" He shouted before he skidded out of sight, as Toriel's flames died down.

"it would seem that mad dummy was _struck dumb_ by the discovery that you can fight back." Sans shrugged.

"Hmhmhmhm~" Toriel almost forgot that she was angry, as she rose her hands up to her muzzle to muffle her giggling.

Sans chuckled a bit...then he remembered something very important. He facepalmed. "ah jeez...looks like i'm the dummy at the moment."

"Whatever do you mean?" Toriel asked, concerned by his grin losing a bit of it's happiness.

"it slipped my mind...but undyne actually lives somewhere around here. close to the garbage dump." Toriel's eyes widened in panic. "papyrus should still be stalling her even as we speak. we might be able to make it past her without being detected, as long as we're quick, and quiet. or as close as we can get to either of them."

"Can't you use your teleportation?"

"my shortcuts? nah. there's a reason why i only use em' unless i really feel like going somewhere far." he sighed. "as helpful as my ability is...it really has a knack for tiring me out. repeated use of it at one instance and i might pass out."

Toriel eyed him with concern. "If that's the case, then don't do it. I don't want you potentially harming yourself for our sake."

"it's alright, tori. i may know somewhere we can go instead."

"I don't get what you're trying to do, Sans. Where are we going, and what for?" 'Flowey' asked as Sans carried his pot, his eyes filled with confusion.

"not much, my flower friend. i just want you to hear something out of a certain person's mouth. just to get you a better understsnding of things, that's all." Sans informed. "he's got some oretty good items, as well as vital information for our little...'mission'." Sans tried not to be too obvious, they were still walking alongside Toriel. "plus, this we'll benefit the both of you."

"This benefits both of us? How...?"

"you'll see. let's just get there, first." Sans winked.

"Sans. May I ask you something?" Toriel said as she oulled her hood a bit more over her head. "You said that this specific vendor is someone I have to show my face to. Are you sure that's safe?"

"have faith in me, tor. i know what i'm doing." Sans reassured. He lead Toriel to a small cavern in the middle of the path that they were currently on, and entered it with ease. He then tapped the small counter before him. "hey! old man! you in here?"

There were sounds of rustling, a couple of things dropping to the grounr, and a hoarse 'dagnabbit!' echoed slightlt through the cave. Toriel found the voice familiar. Soon enough, the persin that Sans was calling out would get behind the counter, in a coughing fit.

"*hack!* Whoo...sorry about that. Was rearranging some things when stuff suddenky collaspin' all over my noggin! The dust doesn't help me much either." Gerson coughed, adjusting his had and grinning happily at the skeleton. "Why if it ain't Sansy-boy! Hey...shouldn't you be on sentry duty right now?"

"sentry duty is hard work, turtle-pops. i'm taking my break."

"All you're doing is standing around lookin' for somethin' suspicious! Don't tell me you're too lazy to do that?!"

"course not. like i said, sentry duty is hard work. how am i gonna send out trees to do their duty?"

"What are you talkin' about boy? There...wait a minute...oh. Oh! Wahahaha!" Gerson cackled, finally understanding. "I swear your puns get worse everyday. Anyway, what can I do ya for? And who's your mysterious shady-lookin' friend here?" He looked to the hooded figure, who's red eyes shined through the shade of the hood, and said eyes were wide with realization.

"That laugh...I can't possibly mistake it for anybody else!" Toriel pushed her hood off her head, revealing herself to Gerson. His only working eye widened in understandable shock. "Gerson!"

"TORIEL?!" Gerson exclaimed, before Toriel slapped a hand over his mouth and hushed him just a bit harshly.

"Not so loud...! I'm trying to hide my identity! Hence my hood!"

Gerson gently pushed her paw away from his mouth as his right eye kept staring at her in disbelief. "I can't believe it...you're actually here. And you haven't aged a day since I last saw you." He stated sadly, as he knew why this was the case. 'Flowey' didn't miss this, and his petals drooped a little. "Your Highness...where have you been all these years...?"

Toriel sighed, knowing that she owed her old friend an explanation. "We can't talk out here, though. Other monsters might be watching or listening in."

Gerson let out a tired sigh, as he stepped aside. "Come on in. Don't linger now. Git." Toriel, Sans, and Flowey hurried into his cave while Frisk and MK waited outside, as Gerson pulled out a rock and used it to cover up the entrance. The old tortoise monster was a lot stringer than he appeared, even if his strength has waned with age. he sat down in front of the trio before him. "Alright. No one can hear us or spy on us. Now start talkin', you two."

Toriel provided a summary of what she was doing after she left both Asgore and the entire kingdom behind. That she's been hiding in the Ruins for years, taking care of all the children that fell into the Underground, then endured the heartbreak of letting each and every one if them leave her alone in the Ruins. She knew that there was no way they could not survive with all of the monsters hunting them down relentlessly for their SOULS. And as she predicted, none of them survived. She's been quite the lonely queen ever since. Her only companion was Sans, best friend and knock-knock joke buddy, even if they never seen each other's face until just recently. Now, due to a certain somebody's persistent insistence, she found the courage to leave the Ruins behind on her own accord.

Gerson listened closely to the former queen's story, as Sans and 'Flowey' stood by, paying just as much attention to her story. They may already know some majorities of the story, but actually hearing it from her mouth, it somehow brings about a heavier impact. Especially on 'Flowey'. Asriel felt himself feeling much more sympathetic towards Toriel.

 _She lost me and Chara on the same day. Then six more children came, and she tried to protect them and keep them safe. But one by one, they all left...and they all died._ Asriel thought, as he lowered his head. Her overprotective streak towards Frisk suddenly became much clearer to him.

 _"Hmph! That only means that she's a terrible mother."_ Flowey huffed in the mental plane.

The clouds within Asriel's mind darkened with anger. _**Don't. Go. There.**_

Flowey, within Asriel's psyche, was genuinely surprised when the boys attitude instantly turned hostile. He was so caught off-guard, that he decided that provoking the boy further wouldn't be the best idea. He was well aware that Asriel can simply erase him from his consciousness if he truly wanted to, and not deal with the flower's dark thoughts ever again. Which made him wonder why the boy hasn't done that yet...

"I see. So that's how it is." Gerson mumbled, his one eye trained on Toriel, as if he were looking for anything else she might have to say. But it seems like she's taken a break from speaking to allow him to voice his thoughts. "...Asgore. He misses you."

Toriel knew that would come up. Gerson is good friends with the both of them. Of course he would bring him up at a moment's notice.

"I wouldn't be surprised, nor blame you if you didn't care about how he feels. Just...hear me out." Gerson continued. "I've gone on multiple visits to his castle over the years to see how he was holding up. He is clearly a broken man, despite the friendly demeanor he tries his best to keep up regardless of his inner suffering. No one else sees it because of their utmost confidence in him. But me, I see the truth. The King...he's falling apart on the inside, Toriel."

"Falling apart, huh...?" Toriel said quietly to herself. "I...can't imagine."

"I don't know what you're expecting, Tori. After the tradegy wih his sons, you were the only emotional crutch he had left. And when you abandoned him, it was...well...i knew the difference between before and after. He's sad...tired...furious at himself...depression is an understatement." Gerson closed his eye. "Nothing would make him happier than to quit this entire thing and try to make amends. But as King of the Underground, he's the only thing keepin' these folks from going falling into total despair. That kind of weight...doubly so because he never wanted that kind of burden...it's unbearable. At this point, I'd say he'd have no qualms with dying for the grave sins he's committed, if it's his only chance at redemption."

 _No kidding._ Sans muttered in his mind. It didn't matter how complex the routes have gotten, nor how long it took. If events lead up to a Genocide or any kind of Neutral Ending...Asgore was going to die. There was no avoiding that. Either Flowey killed him when he was defeated by Frisk, he chooses suicide to help said child cross the barrier, or Chara would be cold-blooded enough to kill both his father and brother simultaneously. True Pacifist would be the only route that Asgore would definitely survive.

He wondered if Frisk would see the pattern there. Or he has already.

"People have been keeping their hopes up...while others don't have much hope left." Gerson went on. "Everyone's been rambling on about your family crest, or the Delta Rune. It's now being interpreted about an 'Angel' who will come and end our imprisonment Underground. Via freedom...or massacre." He opened his eyes when Toriel gasped. "It's the way it is. The Angel frees us from our prison by destroying the Barrier...or by putting us down. Either way, monsters won't be suffering anymore. Will it be an Angel? Or an Angel of Death? The prophecy always said that 'They will return. And the Underground will go empty.' ...it never said _how_ it would go empty."

'Flowey's' head shot up quickly at the mention of the Angels and the Prophecy. Sans noticed this the instant it happened. _t_ _he kid understands the clue..._

Toriel lowered her head as her thoughts swirled around in her head about Gerson said to her. Monsters have definitely been trying to hold onto the hope of leaving the Underground...but a lot of them have already given up. And their way of thinking was becoming tragic. They've been down here for far too long, they're desparate to escape. Going as far as to place either their hopes or despair on this 'Angel' that they're speaking of.

She really has missed quite a lot during her absence.

"I see..." She said quietly as she placed her hood over her head. "I do appreciate you informing me of all this, Gerson. I now have a better understanding of the entire situation."

"And...? What will you do with that information?"

"Whatever I can." She said simply. "Maybe it wasn't under a positive subject, but it really was good to see you, Gerson. By the way, you still look well and chipper as always."

"Wa ha ha! Ya can't compliment my looks! I'm not as handsome as I used to be. But you...you haven't gotten a single wrinkle. Even after so many years, you've kept your youth, _and_ your beauty. Lucky." With most of the tension now gone for the moment, Gerson gently held one of her hands and placed a kiss on top of it. This resulted in her giggling. "Safe journey, Toriel."

The former Queen of Monsters nodded as Gerson moved the boulder out of the way for her. Sans and 'Flowey' were about to follow suit. "She's found a seventh human, hasn't she?" Gerson said quietly to Sans, who had his back turned. "Now I won't go blabbing about it. But you might want to be careful about how you progress from here, and watch out for Undyne. She won't be as understanding as I am." Sans could only nod as he walked out with 'Flowey' in tow.

 _An_ _Angel who frees the Monsters from the Underground by either destroying the barrier or wiping them out entirely. Sans...you might not say it to me directly...but I now understand why you brought me here to see Gerson. Obviously so Mom could see him, but now I have better understanding of the Prophecy._ 'Flowey' switched to his Asriel face while his mother was not looking. _In another timeline, I freed the monsters by breaking the barrier. While Chara kills everyone and destroys the world in another. So...I am the 'Angel'...while Chara is the 'Angel of Death'...The Prophecy is completely ambiguous about how the Underground goes empty, but now I understand._ He lowered his head in a slightly depressed manner. It's almost as if Chara was _destined_ to to be evil, Asriel was destined to be a savior, whether the monsters were aware of it or not.

Now Asriel has another question in mind: Is there really no way to avoid conflict between the two of them? Because according to Sans, the way they're going, that outcome was becoming inevitable.

Sans looked up after a while. "welp. that sure was a good time wasn't it? i didn't expect you two to actually know one another. i also didn't expect to learn that i was hanging out with royalty."

"Indeed. I used to be Queen. But I turned away from the Kingdom because of Asgore's reckless decision and lacking the heart to continue on with it." Toriel sighed quietly. "However...I underestimated how deep the damage was to everyone."

"yeah. life feels pretty crappy right now, but we've learned to get by and work together." Sans shrugged. "for quite a very long time, we've let things get to us due to the low morale. but me? almost nothing can get _under my skin."_

Toriel rolled her eyes while pushing him away. "Oh, don't be such a _bonehead,_ Sans!"

"oh jeez. are you to _real_ about this?"

 _"I hate them both."_ Flowey groaned. Asriel ignored him.

Frisk and MK remained very energetic, skipping around the adults. Sans stepped back a bit. "hey hey, frisk. _bone it down a little._ due to my title as resident _lazybones,_ i can't really keep up with ya." One of his eyes shifted upward, near the cliffs. He thought he saw a flash of blue in the shadows...wait a minute...

 _aw crud._

The blue spear came out of nowhere. Sans' reaction was quick. Without anyone's notice, his left eye flashed cyan for a second as he flicked his hand to the right, changing the spear's path. It narrowly missed Frisk by a couple inches, harmlessly stuck into the ground. Toriel's immediate action was to pull the child closer to her and search around. Sans rubbed his neck. "welp...the 'avoiding undyne' plan failed miserably."

 _ **CLANK!**_

A loud cranking sound was heard as the armored maiden jumped off the cliff and right in front of the group, blocking their path. Undyne stood at full height, fists clenched in irritation while glaring at Sans.

"SANS! WHY DID YOU HAVE PAPYRUS DISTRACT ME?!"

 _ah boy. it looks like pap cracked. i do applaud him for giving it a shot, though._ "i don't know what you're talking about, undyne. i have no idea. nope. no clue."

"That stupid dog! It was so damn persistent! But Papyrus says he dropped the scarf so that the dog could nab it and never let go! But all he said was 'I DROPPED IT SOMEWHERE. HELP ME FIND IT.'"

Sans shrugged. "technically he didn't lie. he just didn't say that he dropped it on purpose."

"NOT THE POINT!" Undyne snarled. "I was NOT going to defeated by some stupid mutt! So of course I chased it down everywhere it went. It really pissed me off, but I eventually managed to catch it and get Papyrus's scarf back. Then he said 'WOWIE! THE DISTRACTION WORKED. SANS AND THE HUMAN WILL BE SO PROUD OF ME...OOPS.'" The armored maiden then removed her helmet, allowing her hair to flow with the sudden wind a bit more smoothly. "Tell me Sans...why are you traveling with the very thing carrying what we need in order to FREE THE MONSTERS FROM THE UNDERGROUND?!"

"oh yeah. i forgot about that." Sans looked to the side. "hey, uh, undyne. i was thinkin'...maybe we should...ya know...not use _this_ human's soul."

"Why. Not?" Sans could tell Undyne was losing her patience, her teeth grinding together. "Don't tell me you've grown attached to the human!"

"...yep."

"THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY?!" She roared with her sharp teeth turning slightly comical, and her one eye completely white.

"...yep."

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

"...okay."

"DAMMIT SANS!"

"nah. i'm more of a _comic sans_ than a dammit sans."

"GAH!" Undyne shook her head furiously. "You know what? It doesn't matter. I'll deal with your insubordination later, _sentry."_

"i didn't send any trees anywhere, though."

"Grrrrr..."

 _Wow, she sounds AND looks really mad. And scary._ Asriel thought while switching back to his 'Flowey' face. _But...she's really important to Dad, isn't she?_

"psst...kid." Sans whispered to Frisk quietly. "she's blocking our path to hotlands. i don't think she'll let us pass without fighting her directly. and that doesn't look like a face that can be talked down. she has **determination** too, but unknowingly. this...might actually be our first true obstacle here." Sans shifted focus as Toriel suddenly stood up and handed Frisk to him, while walking in front of them.

Toriel, with her face overshadowed by her hood, stood defiantly across Undyne. "...You're not going to allow us to pass peacefully, are you?" It looks like Toriel could see it too.

Meanwhile, Monster Kid was conflicted. His idol, the one he wanted to meet for so long, was right in front of him. And every inch of his inner fanboy wanted to run up to her and adore her up close. However...Frisk was his new friend, regardless on whether he was human or not. And Undyne clearly wants to kill Frisk because they needed his SOUL to break the barrier. He didn't want to make Undyne any angrier, but he also didn't want Frisk to die.

 _Yo...this really stinks..._

"Seven. Seven human souls..." Undyne said. "With those seven human souls, King Asgore will become a god. So far...we have collected six. Through that seventh and final soul...this world will be transformed..." She looked up at Toriel's hidden face. "Understand? That's human's continued existence is a crime! His life is all that stands between us and our freedom, our hopes and dreams! That human's death will be of much higher value to us than simply going around being nice to everyone!" She raised her spear. "I don't know who you are, but you're standing in my way! Get out of my way!"

Toriel sighed after a while. "...How far...has this kingdom truly fallen?"

"What?!"

"A Kingdom that considers an innocent human child walking and breathing to be a crime in itself...is a Kingdom I'd rather not be a part of. However, due to said child's insistence, I have to confront the matter myself if I'm ever going to see any change." Toriel rose her head up, staring Undyne down. "I bear no grudge against you, because you're only acting on orders. However...I cannot allow you to harm this human. He is under my protection. I do not wish to spark a conflict, in fact I wish to avoid it altogether. But...I **will** retaliate if you push me to it."

Undyne's eye narrowed. "That sounds like a challenge."

"If you still wish to harm this child, then I suppose it is."

"Hmph. I'm not giving up my mission, and despite not wanting to fight, your tone tells me that you will if it's to protect that human." Undyne twirled her spear over her head, then once again pointed it towards her challenger. "There's only one way we can settle this disagreement, then."

A ring of fire appeared around Toriel, flowing her robe and lightly exposing her feet. Her red eyes intensified to match the flames. "Indeed."

Frisk stepped forward,not wanting both his friend and his mother to fight each other but Sans outstretched his arm and shook his head. "don't bother, kid. undyne's in her hot-blooded mode and still hates your guts, and tori just went full-blown mama bear for your sake. undyne is fierce and passionate, while tori is a pyrokinetic master. there's no stopping a fight now." He looked towards them. "best that we let them _cool down_ from their rather _fiery_ impasse."

 _"You know what? I'm totally okay with this. This is actually interesting."_ Flowey smirked. _"How much power is Toriel really hiding? I've got a good feeling we're about to find out."_

 _I can't believe you._ Asriel shook his head, his flower body wilting a bit to show his disapproval. But he couldn't do anything about it. He can only hope that it ends quickly. Frisk has the same thoughts.

Undyne's eye widened, and despite her heavy armor, she swiftly leaps at Toriel, spear in hand. A pillar of flames automatically blocks the slash, as they pushed against one another.

"EN GUARDE!"

* * *

 **Asriel is reminded if the Prophecy scripted as a result of the Delta Rune. Now that he knows that he's the Angel and Chara is the Angel of Death...the possibilty of a conflict between these two rose ever higher.**

 **Also, Undyne's finally here! And due to a rather violent impasse, it seems that she'll be fighting Toriel, but she doesn't know who she truly is. Wonder how that will end up? Probably painfully or embarrassingly. As of right now, they're mortal enemies fighting over Frisk.**

 **This will blossom into a spiteful relationship...or they'll take the time to know each other better. If the latter, then Toriel can get even more info and understanding on the person they have in common: Asgore.**

 **...First they gotta not...ya know...kill each other.**

 **...heh...**

 **Undyne: Until the next one, PUNKS! NGAAAAHHHH!**

 ***Undyne suplexes the review button, just because she can.***

 **...Wha...?**


	8. The Queen Vs The Knight

**Sans: _tibia_ honest, ben is still a bit unsure with how this chapter turned out. fellow writers will understand. ya think ya got something in the bag, then you discover that that's not entirely the case. it happens a lot.**

 **Papyrus: HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF, HUMAN WRITER. YOU SHALL BECOME BETTER OVER TIME. I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT!**

 **Toriel: Everyone has a misstep sometimes, Ben. You'll regain your balance eventually.**

 **Me: *smiles* Admit it. We all need a Papyrus in our lives. And a Goat-Mom.**

 **Sans: and there's no way you can live _sans Sans._**

 **Me: *facepalm* Dude...that was terrible.**

 **Toriel: *stifled giggle***

 **Papyrus: SAAAAAAAAAAA-**

 **Chapter Initiated!**

* * *

It escalated so quickly. There was actually had no problem with Frisk closing his eyes so he didn't have to watch. 'Flowey' had to keep himself from tearing the quarreling women away from each other. Sans...chose to do nothing? Don't judge. Trying to separate two dueling fiery women who can be incredibly destructive? Let's reinforce that. One of them is the former Queen of the Underground. The other...in another route, her name has UNDYING in it.

So...nope. Besides, he didn't want to ruin any surprises about himself before they were ready.

"welp...you two wonderful ladies have fun. i'm gonna take the kids somewhere safer." Sans placed his hands on Frisk's and Kid's shoulders. "let's move along, kiddies. let the scary women work out their differences, while we're somewhere safer and not full of spears and fire. or worse, flaming spears. so...uh...seeya." Sans turned them around and walked away in another direction, not risking making a shortcut in front of Undyne. He didn't need questions like that weighing down on his skull.

 _skull...heh._

"What the?! SANS! Bring that human back right-" Undyne began shouting, but Toriel pushed her away with a burst of flames from her flame wall, forcing the knight to jump back and recover. Her teeth clenched as her hooded opponent blocked the way to her target.

"Forgive me, but you'll have to get past me first. And the chances of you doing that is unlikely." Toriel said strongly as more flames conjured around her. She raised her palms up to bring forth a large ball of fire, and pushed it forward.

Undyne's eyes widened as she jumped to the side to avoid the flaming sphere, watching it explode violently yet at the same time, elegantly. _Whoever she is, she's got some serious firepower, and it's also feels refined, to a degree. I'd better stay vigilant for any surprises._ "You seem to have quite amazing control on those fire powers of yours."

"I've had a lot of time to practice." Toriel stated simply, and it was true. Centuries of practice has made her an established pyrokinetic master. The circumstances of how she got that time, however, still upset her greatly. She regained her focus as yet another ball of fire split into ten smaller ones and she pushed them forward as well. Undyne twirled her spear rapidly and deflected a majority of the fireballs with little to no effort at all. Though two of them managed to hit her in the chest, pushing her back a couple feet. "And I'm a bit proud of the results."

"I can only imagine."

Undyne stood back up as she summoned an array of spears above her, amd all of them rained down upon their target. Toriel manifested a fire shield around herself with both hands, deflecting the spears and cuasing them to dissipate. Her shield disappeared as she wondered what her attacker would do next. Undyne's charge caused her to raise her arms in preparation, then tensed when she jumped into the air, and jabbed her spear right over her. Toriel barely dodged, as the spear dug right into the ground where she was just standing, multiole cracks forming from the strong impact.

Toriel had to admit, this female warrior had quite a large amount of physical strength.

She also had to admit that she did not expect the attack to continue, as two spears materialized above the fish warrior and shot right at her. She attempted to dodge, but they sliced into her sides, lightly damaging her robes. A low grunt escaped her muzzle, but she managed to stand back up regardless. She didn't need her hands to summon spears, huh? Then that makes their arsenal just a bit more balanced, doesn't it?

She at least managed to figure out Undyne's power. _She's very proficient with spears. Being able to generate them anytime she pleases. This is a form of telumkinesis...yes, that's it. I'm sure I read about this somewhere before._ She regains focus and dodges another spear that would have pierced her arm.

"This is ridiculous." Undyne narrowed her eyes. "Why are you so protective of that human?"

"Why are you so adamant on killing him? Just for his soul? It doesn't matter if he's just a young, innocent, scared child? Is that what this kingdom has sunken to?"

Undyne froze up a bit at this. But she shook it off and tried not to show her disbelief. "Why do you insist that the human is innocent?"

"Why do you insist that he's guilty?"

"WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS?!"

"...You tell me."

Toriel could tell that she was getting under Undyne's skin. And not in the angering way that Sans was doing it. There was a hint of hesitation in her eyes that would be impossible to see if one wasn't paying very close attention to it. The fish warrior reformed her weapon again, dashed forward, and Toriel forming a flaming wall to block and pushed her back. Undyne lands a couple feet away, though she was surprised when another fireball erupted from beneath her, impacted her armored chest and knocked her down. Her response was to snarl angrily before standing up again.

She was raised her spear and brought it down in order to slice another fireball in half, though Toriel had already shot a blast of it with her other hand right in the center, forcing her to dodge agaim by ducking.

 _Damn her! Judging by her multiple fire attacks, she must not very skilled at close combat and knows this very well. And she can tell that I am a pro at close quarters. She's purposely keeping me at a distance!_

Toriel saw the look on her face, it looked like she thought she had her figured out. Well, she was in for quite a surprise. She hasn't done this little move in a while, because she never really had to. But she tried it anyway. She pulled up one of her sleeves as she clenched and tightened her right fist, which was now alit with flames. She pulled back her fist, then thrusts it forward, a larger burst of fire shooting out of it.

Undyne now had a look of shock as the large flame wave made it's way towards her. There was no was she would be able to dodge with the large width that it has. Instead, she placed her palms on the ground as a wide wall of glowing blue spears shot up from the ground and blocked off the flame wave, though she could still feel the intense heat from the other side. It was enough to make her pant a little...her armor was getting a little heated...

 _No! I can't afford to faint here! Not because of something as stupid as overheating! I'm not going to give up!_

As their battle raged, 'Flowey' was standing by, watching with awed eyes. Toriel didn't have his eyes on him, so it was safe to switch to his 'Asriel' face. "Wow...Mom is so much stronger than she let's on..."

 _"...Okay. Something else has DEFINITELY changed in this new timeline. It...legitimately intrigues me."_ Flowey muttered seriously in the mental world, lightly surprising Asriel.

 _Huh? What are you talking about, Flowey?_

 _"Don't tell me you haven't noticed it yet. It doesn't matter how many times a LOAD or a RESET happens. Not counting Smiley Trashbag, monsters don't EVER dodge attacks, regardless of who they're from. I find that ridiculously and utterly stupid, but I accepted it as part of the rules. It didn't matter if you attacked out of hostility or self-defense, they **NEVER** dodge. The only ones allowed to dodge are Smiley Trashbag, Chara, and Frisk. Now...look at what that Old Hag and Fish-Face are doing. When one attacks, the other tends to dodge. Fish-Face can probably tank the others attacks, but her armor will overheat if she does, hence her trying to avoid fire attacks. Old Hag is keeping a distance so she'll have a larger time-window to avoid, dodge, deflect, or reflect the spears hurled at her. She's fighting smart. Though I can tell she's still not taking this too seriously." _

_You mean she's not completely into this fight?!_ Asriel looked shocked.

 _"Why would she be? Fish-Face is tough, but Asgore still has her beat by a long shot. What difference does clashing with the former Queen make? Besides, she doesn't actually WANT to fight. She just wants her to back off."_

 _Oh. That makes sense._

 _"Indeed it does. Honestly, Asriel. You're HIGHLY underestimating your family's true potential."_ Asriel was about to make a mental retort...but Flowey cut him off. " _L_ _et's not get into that particular subject right now. Attention back on the quarreling females."_ Asriel blinked before follwoing the flower's advice, but made sure not to forget what he just said. Not just about the Dreemurr's potential, but battles scenarios in general.

Some of the rules have been altered. FAR more than initially anticipated. A question to be asked, is how?

Toriel could see that the heat was gradually wearing Undyne down with heat exhaustion. Good, she found some what to knock her out without harming her too badly. But first..."Tell me, Miss Undyne. About the humans souls you've already gathered."

"Huh? What about them?" She narrowed her eye at this. Toriel was eerily calm all of a sudden.

"Out of all of them...did any of them die by your hands?"

Undyne gripped tightly on her spear, but Toriel could already tell she was shaken by the question. "...No."

"Hm. And you think you have the heart to do it yourself?'

"What are you talking about?"

"You seem to be a person who believes strongly in justice. Well let me tell you this. I can't say that those other children have been kind to the monsters. I have to reluctantly accept that at least one of them was hostile and has had dust on their hands at some point. However, I have been traveling with this particular child ever since he fell into the Underground, and he's been nothing but a little angel. He's done nothing wrong, he never tried to do anything wrong, he's been nothing but a good boy all the way up to now. He's completely innocent." Toriel's red eyes sharpened under her hood. "So...are you disregarding the fact that he's innocent...just because he just _happens_ to be the last human you need to have seven human souls?"

Undyne begun shaking...she didn't know why.

"Undyne...are you trying to find any possible reason to justify killing an innocent child...so you wouldn't face the moral implications of doing so?" She continued. "He's possibly the first completely innocent of all the human children that have fallen down here. Is it worth doing irreparable damage to your moral compass in order to save the Underground?"

The warrior now had no idea how to proceed. This person went from fighting her to trying to cease their fight by talking...and it was clearly working. She tried to think of any possible reason for this person to be lying. Hell, she can't even see her face under that hood of hers, of course she's suspicious! But...she had a certain aura flowingno around her. A sense of high authority, yet a sense of pleading as well. She's masking a plea with a moral question. To add on...her eyes were filled with complete honesty. Which means she was genuinely asking her to stop and think about the consequence of her rash and rushed decision.

Too bad she didn't have time to. Her armor hasn't had a chance to cool down from Toriel's fireball barrage. Unable to endure the overheating armor despite trying her best to push past it, Undyne's eye rolled to the back of her head as she fell forward, unconscious. Toriel's eyes widened as she ran up to help her.

"UNDYNE!"

 _"Ah man! What a ripoff!"_ Flowey grumbled from within Asriel's mindscape. The Prince could practically feel his frown of disappointment. _"It was actually getting good for a bit, but THEN she decided to start talking! Then Fish-Face fainted! Boring!"_ Asriel sighed. There was no way for him to explain how bloodthirsty the flower could be.

"well. it looks like the fightings over." Sans peaked from behind a corner, as well as MK and Frisk. The latter was overcome with worry for Undyne's sake, and rushed up to her alongside MK.

 _"And now Smiley Trashbag is back. Great."_

"I put too much intensity in my fire attacks, and the armor overheated. She passed out." Toriel said with immense concern. "We need to get her some water, Sans."

"huh. place sure looks like it's been through a firefight. things were apparently _heating up_ for a bit, huh? undyne just _couldn't take the heat,_ eh?" Toriel turned around and glared at the short skeleton, who sweated a little under her strong gaze. If Undyne's life wasn't in danger right now, she might have laughed. Understandable. "hehe...guess this is a bad time?" It took Sans a moment to register what he just said. _oh wow, sansy boy. that was ridiculous even for you...cudos to myself._

"Indeed it was, Sans."

"uh...my bad."

"You are forgiven. Now let us get her some water, immediately."

"follow me, then. her house is around here, let's get her there to recover." with that, Sans leads the way to Undyne's house, while Toriel lifts the unconscious warrior in her arms and carries her along. Frisk picks up 'Flowey' in his pot as he and Kid followed them.

 **(Undyne's House)**

The first thing that greets Undyne when she wakes up, a rather painful headache. She groaned as she did her best to get up while rubbing her forehead. What happened to her? Wait a minute, she knows what happened. She encountered some strong pyrokinetic and she couldn't beat her. Because she was really good at long-ranged attacks, and she got in her head with questions...she won't admit she's afraid to answer. After that, she passed out...

So how did she get into her house?

"Sans, I still think that was a tad unnecessary."

"what? she hangs out with gerson a lot of course he would know how to get in her house without breaking her windows. it isn't breaking and entering because we didn't break anything."

"Well I suppose that's true..."

"besides, she needed to lie down as soon as possible. she seems a bit... _overcooked._ "

"Sans. As funny as that sounds, this really isn't the time."

"right right, sorry." There were two pulls on Sans' jacket. "no frisk, pap didn't break the windows...again. she just didn't get around to finish fixing it yet."

"Yo...Undyne. Please be okay. Ya gotta be okay, right?'

There were people in her house. And one of them was surely Sans. And that other woman. With her senses regaining their function and her headache just slightly easier to bear, Undyne opened her eye and blinked a couple times. She was right. The hooded woman was there, the little monster child was there, Sans was there, the human...THE HUMAN?!

"ah, she's awake." Sans turned towards her. "she's got that 'why the hell are you in my house?!' face." She must make that face often. She's best friends with Papyrus, after all. And he tends to enter...unannounced, sometimes. Hence the broken window in the process of being fixed.

"Sans!" Toriel reprimanded, wrapping her arms around MK and Frisk in an attempt to cover their ears.

"whoops. sorry. forgot we're supposed to have a kid-friendly atmosphere right now."

"I don't think kid-friendly is an option here. She has a lot of sharp pointy dangerous stuff in here." 'Flowey' said, pulling out a drawer filled with the usual kitchen utencils...as well as nunchucks, sais, swords...Toriel holds onto Frisk tightly. Juuuuust to be safe...

MK arched forward a little to get a closer look. "Woah...those look cool! Nunchucks!" If inly he had arms...he'd be amazing.

"No no, little one. Away from the rather dangerous bjects." Toriel gently pulled the armless child away from the drawer, and her attention was back in the heavily confused Undyne. "I suppose you wish to know how we got into your home. It appears that you know Gerson very well, and vice-versa. He helped us get inside without any major troubles. He was pretty concerned about you, and seemed to know that something like this would happen if you and I were to cross paths with the human in my care."

Undyne managed to gather a bit more focus, as she rubbed her head while blinking owlishly. "Wait a minute...you know Geezer Gerson?"

Toriel stifled a snicker. That nickname...it was inevitable. She decides to really keep that to memory for an appropriate time. "Yes. I've known him for a long time. However...not the way you're probably thinking. I'm going to reveal my identity to you now, as a means for you to trust my words. Are you prepared?" Undyne raised an eyebrow at her words, but nodded silently. Toriel nodded as she slowly brought her hands up to remove her hood. There was an understandable look of shock on Undyne's face when she did so. Toriel placed her hands on her lap and stared back at the female warrior, waiting patiently for her reaction.

Undyne rubbed her eye to see if she was seeing things. But there was no mistake. White fur, red eyes, Delta Rune robe, cute little fangs...there was no mistaking it. The realization hit her like a ton of bricks, and she paled after realizing what she has tried to do. Both Toriel and Sans were impressed by how quickly Undyne got out of bed and got on her knees, her hair lying over her head.

"QUEEN TORIEL! MY ABSOLUTE DEEPEST APOLOGIES! I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS YOU! YOU-MMMPH?!" Undyne was about to start muttering constsnt apologies, but Toriel rushed and slapped a hand over her mouth.

"Will you lower your voice, child?! We don't need that type of information being out in the open, Regardless of whether we're in your house or not!" Toriel hissed harshly, before calming down and releasing her grip on her. "Now, care to try that again?"

Undyne took a moment to calm down, and get her thoughrs together. "I, uh, sorry about that. It's just that, I attacked you relentlessly because you were in my way. How was I supposed to know that you were the Queen?" She pouted, her lips pursing to one side. "No wonder I couldn't win."

"Originally the idea was to not allow anyone I didn't trust to know of my identity." Toriel stated. "However, because you are Captain of the Royal Guard, I feel like I have to come clean with you directly so you don't become even more antagonistic later. You are a force to be reckoned with, that I can say for certain."

"Um...okay. But I have a couple of questions. Why are you so protective of _him?_ " Her gaze landed on Frisk, and then shifted to Sans. "And how does Sans know you? You were talking like you were old friends or something."

"you're not too far from the truth." Sans confirmed. "as for frisk...yeah. toriel adopted him."

"...eh?"

"He's not joking, Undyne. Frisk is my adopted child." Toriel said as Frisk hopped back on her lap, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead. "Hence another reason why I refused to let you capture him. He is under my protection."

"But...but he's..."

"Undyne. I know what you were assigned to do. But I can't allow the Kingdom to take his soul. Call me selfish if you will, but I refuse to surrender him. My heart...just won't be able to handle it." Toriel petted the top of Frisk's head while she was saying this. Sans grin faltered a little as he was hearing this.

The fish warrior sighed as she rubbed her neck, trying to figure out what she could do next. Taking the human was obviously not going to happen, not with how protective Toriel was over Frisk. And it was clear that her heart just can't handle killing an innocent child. Toriel was right. Looking straight at Frisk, he doesn't look like he has a bad bone in his body.

Sans snickered, though he didn't know why.

Speaking of Frisk, he looked up at Undyne and smiled brightly at her. She huffed. "You're happy that I'm no longer gonna chase you, are ya? Moral dilemma has stopped me in my tracks. Whatever." Frisk reached his arms out to her, causing her to look at him strangely. "What? You want me to hold you? ...Why?" Frisk kept reaching for her, a small grunt coming from him, he really wanted her to hold him. It seems like Toriel had no problems with it, and Sans was smiling wider.

"c'mon, undyne. you no longer want to hurt the kid. he wants to hug you to confirm your now non-hostile relationship."

Undyne was still watching Frisk. He was pratically whimpering at his inability to reach her. She groaned and rolled her eye. "Ugh, fine! Just stop making that pouting face! Give him here." Undyne looked away slightly as Toriel handed the boy to her, now being in the fish-warrior's arms. "There, you're in my arms. Now can you stop being such a b-" She froze up the moment Frisk began settling in her arms.

 _What...? What is this...? What's this feeling?_ She thought inwardly as she stared down at Frisk, who was no longer pouting and was now giving her his bright smile again. She was keft captivated by his beaming smile, combined with an overpowering sense of gentle friendliness. And to enhance this feeling, she really could not sense a hint of evil in his body. She was slowly becoming very grateful that she was stopped from pursuing him any further. She didn't know how she would handle it if she had the conscious of someone who killed an innocent child who doesn't have a speck of dust on his body. He was completely clean.

And to top it all off, this human somehow feels... _familiar_ to her. She relaxed her grip on the small human and looked up to Sans and Toriel. "You know...the entire time I was thinking about taking his soul...there was some tiny, distant, vague voice in my head telling me NOT to do it. Isn't that weird?" Sans nodded, signifying that he did understand, if only a little bit. She stared at Frisk, a more calming look taking her features. "Something's been bothering me. The whole time I was chasing after you... I felt something... Strange. The echoes of something warm, something... Something like..." Undyne got stuck for a little bit. But another look at Frisk was all she needed to finish her thought.

"I miss being friends with you."

Toriel blinked. Undyne had a sense of deja vu? Because she swesrs that eas the same feeling she got when she first laid her eyes upon Frisk. They have never met, yet at the same time they already know each other personally. And now Undyne's saying she's experiencing the same emotions? She's beginning to think something was going on here...

Sans' smile didn't falter again, though his thoughts seemed intrigued. _even after a true reset, our friends still remember frisk so far, even if it's very vague. i dunno if that's supposed to be good or bad, but by how the flower side of asriel said, that's never happened before. there is definitely something different about this run. i have no reason to complain right now, but i'd better pay closer attention to my surroundings just to be safe._

Frisk's hugged Undyne softly, and against his own expectations, he had begun nuzzling against her chest. The sensation of Undyne's heartbeat differs from Toriel's on a couple levels. Toriel's felt warm, calm, motherly, and comforting. Undyne's felt fierce, powerful, caring, and strongly loyal. Frisk still recognizes Undyne's view on friends. Any friends of hers are under her protection, it didn't matter who the opposition was. Undyne wouldn't stop fighting for the sake of her friends, ever.

"Hey! Whaddya think you're doing, punk?" Undyne called Frisk out and rustled his hair with one of her hands. "You're not gonna soften me up _that_ easily! It doesn't matter _how_ adorable you are!" She carefuly wrapped one arm around his neck and her other arm formed a fist in her hand and gently dug into his head. Ah yes, the infamous noogie that was so feared. A fierce grin took over her features while Frisk was helpless to stop the treatment...but he was laughing.

Rough around the edges or not, Frisk really missed Undyne.

She finally eased up, now just holding the boy in her arms while he was siting on her lap, lightly kicking his feet in the process. He looks very contented. Undyne then flashed her signature, sharp-toothed smile. Frisk told her that she has a very beautiful smile. She seemed to take this compliment to heart, pulling the child closer to her. Who knew humans could be so warm and cuddly? However, she had to remember one thing: They still needed one more human soul in order to break that Barrier...but she was no longer willing to sacrifice Frisk in order to do it. There had to be another way, right...? There HAS to be!

She looked up to see Toriel still gazing at her softly, now with Monster Kid in her lap. He seemed to be content with just seeing Undyne up close for a moment. His eyes were sparkling at finally meeting her face to face. She sighed. "Ah fine. C'mere." Kid beamed as Toriel handed the armless child to her as well, wrapping another arm around her so he wouldn't fall off. With both of the children now on her lap and lightly snuggling her, Undyne was now able to speak to Toriel about something that just crossed her mind. "Asgore. During the years he was training me, he...he talks about you. He still does."

"You don't say..." Toriel said. "You two seem to be very close. I can assume he taught you everything you currently know?"

"I like to mix things up a little once in a while, but yeah, he taught me quite a surplus of my fighting skills. Being a part of the Royal Guard wasn't my original intention, you know. I just wanted to beat him to prove that I'm the strongest. That...didn't go very well." She sweatdropped. "But eventually, we came to an agreement. He agreed to train me to get stronger, while I agreed to spend time with him...as a friend. And when I was seeing him the first couple of times, it took me a while to understand that he REALLY needed a friend to be by his side. The dude's a big softie just like this kid here. But...he's really lonely up there in that castle, by himself. I couldn't just leave him there."

There was a small ring in Sans' pocket, and he answered his phone. "SANS! THE HUMAN IS IN DANGER! UNDYNE IS HEADED YOUR WAY!"

Sans chuckled. "i think you're a little late, bro. everything's cool here. undyne just needed to let off some steam."

"OH. THAT'S VERY FORTUNATE, SANS! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL MAKE HIS WAY THERE TO JOIM THE FRIEND PILE!"

"eh, before you do, there's a package at my outpost that's carefully wrapped up in paper. i need ya to do me a solid and deliver it to alphys for me. it's something she needs to see."

"HMMMM...THIS SOUNDS AWFULLY SUSPICIOUS, BROTHER. BUT OF COURSE I KNOW THE DIFFICULTIES OF GETTING YOUR MAIL ON TIME. I WOULD NEVER HAVE ALPHYS FALL INTO THAT SAME SITUATION! ALRIGHT! THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL DELIVER THIS PACKAGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! YOU CAN DEPEND ON ME!"

Sans nodded. "thanks, bro. nice to know you're willing to help me a skele _ton_."

"...SANS. I AM DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU."

"heh. i'll catch ya later, pap."

 _Click..._

"well, papyrus isn't worried anymore."

"Why do you need something delivered to Alphys?" Undyne turned to Sans, curiously. But je shrugged.

"i just thought that she'd appeciate having something to help with her research. ya know, being a royal scientist is no easy job."

"Yeah, you're right. She does seemed to be really stressed about her job, sometimes." Undyne's eye lowered in a mix of deeper curiousity and mild concern. Her attention returned to Toriel after a while. "Anyway, is there something you need to know about Asgore?"

"...How exactly did you and Asgore come to know one another?" Toriel wanted to know. If she were to get any useful information on Asgore's current state of mind, Undyne was her best bet. Besides, very few people can get emotionally close to Asgore to Gerson's level. She wanted to know how, and why. Because...maybe she can understand the situation better.

'Flowey' lifted his head once again, now paying full attention. Asriel needed to know the condition that his father was in, and what state he was in when he first met Undyne. It could help him on his attempts to find...'the answer.'

The fish warrior adjusted herself in her seat, Frisk and MK snuggled next ti her, as she looked Toriel in the eyes with a feeling of reminiscence. Then she began recalling her story.

"You know...I was a pretty hotheaded kid..."

* * *

 **Now that Undyne has calmed down, she's...slightly more level-headed than she was before. And now she's going to disclose to Toriel about her relationship with Asgore. I'm just taking the story she told Frisk while befriending her...and giving it an expansion. Who knows? Toriel might just become a bit more understanding, and learn something important, by the end of it.**

 **And Asriel might gain a clue about how to deal with a certain someone...**

 **As for what Flowey said and Sans took notice of, things are much more significantly different from any other timeline, that despite still going on a pretty decent path, that they realize that something is amiss. What could it be? And the package Sans wanted Papyrus to deliver to Alphys...**

 **We might get a bit of light on these mysteries, next chapter!**


	9. Undyne and Asgore

**Sans and I are laughing heartily, holding our sides and slapping the ground. Toriel passes by with a baffled look.**

 **Toriel: What is _humerus,_ boys? **

**Sans: b-ben's teacher...one of the faculty...oh my god...**

 **Me: One the faculty at my school smacked the top of one of my classmates head out of nowhere in the doorway, completely by surprise and in a very basketball like manner. Then she chanted 'Get dunked on! I could NOT resist laughing!**

 **Sans: dude...that was epic. truly.**

 **Me: Haaa...*wipes tear from my eye* Anyway...new chapter. Undyne and Asgore, my interpretation of their past together. Also, Undyne and Toriel have a bit of an...emotional conflict, and Sans once again addresses the seriousness of succeeding in their mission to Asriel by recapping serious events. I might be a bit inconsistent on some points, and utterly wrong on others, so I hope you'll forgive that, somewhat.**

 **It's another long one, so let's get to it.**

* * *

 **(Flashback)**

You know that one kid who feels like they have to prove that they're the the best at beating up bad guys so they can get most of the attention, power, and most of all, friendship? Not to mention a bit of playground cred. Add magic spears into the mix and you've got young Undyne in a nutshell. Before she grew up alongside Sans and Papyrus, before she met and grew an...affection...for future Royal Scientist, Alphys, and before she was captain of the Royal Guard. Before all of that, she was quite a hot headed kid.

She wasn't really perceived up close as a threat. To most adult monsters, she was a child who was pretending to be a hero, and a couple of them find that adorable. Monsters around her age, however...

"AGH! I give I give! J-Just stop!" What looked like a smaller version of Aaron was tapping the ground with one hand as Undyne had him pinned down, her hands forcing his other arm against his back. She as fully read to break it, too.

"Shyren is too shy for your creepy lines and too close for comfort crap! Get out of here and leave her alone!" Undyne shouted.

"Alright! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Undyne released her grip on him and he ran off in fear of her. Admittedly her treatment of him was a bit harsh, but Shyren was thankful for her assistance. She thought she was going to faint at any moment.

A bit of a clarification for what Undyne looks like. Obviously she looks like a child who likes to roughhouse. She had a couple scratches all over due to the constant fighting she does against bullies. One of her pant legs were a bit torn, and there was a small band aid on her knee. Her shirt was also a bit torn, and she wore a cloth covering her left eye. She really wanted an eye patch, though.

An eye patch would be cool. Eyepatches can make anything cool.

Also, she was a monster with special powers, which was rare among others. She has telumkinesis. She could manifest glowing blue magical spears from her hands and use them to help in her battles. Bringing them out would be a bit overkill since she's merely taking down bullies. But she wasn't a person who would fight unfairly, so she used her fists instead. And they were plenty enough to make then give in. Many of the older kids didn't try messing with her due to her reputation.

Plus she hero-worships Gerson, an old war hero. And the old tortoise monster is fond of her as well. And despite being elderly, he was still plenty tough. And anyone who tried to harshly mess with Undyne on his watch...were not treated kindly. Because due to her parents having abandoned the child for currently unknown reasons at such a young age, he took responsibility for looking out for her. But...she sure was a handful.

Unfortunately, because of her reputation, far too many kids feared her, and tended to stay away from her by any means necessary. It made it painfully difficult to make friends, because she honestly didn't know how to befriend people the way others do. She was under some mindset relating to becoming the strongest warrior there is. If she was strong enough, maybe people would come to her for help. And if she helps them, they'll eventually become her friend!

So maybe, in order to become the strongest warrior, she'll have to go after the current strongest warrior first. There's always a predecessor, after all. She eventually went back to Gerson one day to ask him who was the strongest warrior in the Underground.

"The King is the strongest?" Undyne mumbled, her cheek slightly puffed from chewing on a Crab Apple. It was much more adorable than one would expect.

"Why of course, child. Fluffybuns may be a huge softy, but he's King of the Underground for a very good reason." A slightly younger Gerson told her as he stood behind his stand. "Why do ya ask?"

Undyne swallowed her Crab Apple, and grinned. "Because I'm gonna fight him. And I'm gonna win."

"Wa ha ha ha ha ha!" Gerson chuckled loudly, slapping his stand with his hand while Undyne just stared at him with the grin still plastered on her face. The elder calmed down a bit to see that she still had the same look in her eye, and he sighed while pinching his nose. "Oh good lord, this child is serious."

"Of course I am! I don't joke about stuff like this! People respect those who are the strongest right? So if I defeat the King and become the strongest warrior in the Underground, everyone will respect me and want to be my friend!" Undyne said strongly.

Gerson sighed at the girl's logic. It was completely childish of course, but it stems from a feeling of loneliness that she had no idea how to deal with. So she came up with the delusion that she needs to be strong to be noticed, therefore become much easier to befriend. It seems that she was sticking with this little goal of hers to the end, so trying to talk her out of it was completely useless. There was not much choice but to just let the child have their shot at Asgore. She'll learn from experience.

"Alright, Undyne. I'll take you up to the King's Castle so you can challenge him yourself. don't expect any miracles for yourself, though."

Undyne's eye gleamed with excitement. "Wow, you'd do that for me? Thanks Geezer Gerson!"

A tick mark appeared on his head. "Please don't call me that."

"Why not? You're a geezer, and your name is Gerson. Geezer Gerson. Perfect."

"No. Not perfect. Don't call me a geezer."

"Geezer."

"Stop it."

"Geezer."

"I'm warnin' you girl."

"Geeeeeeezzzzzzeeeeeerrrrrrr!"

"Cut that out-!"

"Geezer geezer geezer geezer geezer!"

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

"Fuhuhuhuhuhu!" Undyne's signature laugh ringed in his ears, as she stood up feeling proud of herself. Then she spotted the local mailman, and her teeth sharpened. "It's that pesky mailman again! HEY!" She formed a spear in her hand and leapt at the poor guy, who was trying to get away from the crazy girl chasing him down. "Stop bothering Geezer Gerson and fight me! Come back here! I just wanna 'gently' poke you with my spear!"

Gerson pinched his nose again. This child was a real...REAL handful...

 **(Asgore's Home)**

Asgore was currently doing one of his favorite hobbies of the day, which was watering his very nourished garden of flowers. They gleamed with a golden gleam that might have the ability to place a shine on the entire room, if possible. He was quietly humming to himself, enjoying the peace.

That peace was about to be interrupt a certain someone.

"ASGORE! FIGHT ME!"

"Hm?"

The King turned towards the source of the sound. He was only able to see the shape of a small fish child with a glowing spear in her hand. Her red hair flowed smoothly with the wind getting into the castle. He saw the cloth covering her left eye, the rough state she was in made the impression that she was incredibly poor. She was standing in the middle of the doorway, looking like she was searching for battle. She was doing her best to look as fierce as possible.

Asgore turned towards her with a warm smile.

"Howdy!" He greeted in a very friendly manner. In fact, the amount of friendliness put into that greeting threw Undyne off-guard for a bit, stepping back in surprise. "Are you lost, little one? How did you manage to get all the way out here?"

Undyne shook off her initial shock and pointed her spear at him. "I'm challenging you to a duel! And I'm going to be victorious!"

"Duel? Are you sure that you wouldn't want a cup of tea instead?"

Undyne blinked in confusion. Then she shook her head. "Don't try to distract me with your seemingly friendly demeanor! You're the strongest monster in the Underground, but that's going to be ME after this encounter!"

Asgore blinked in confusion at her declaration. "Pardon...?"

"NGAAAAAAHHHH!" Undyne ran forward and jumped as high as she could, attemoting to pierce him with her spear...

She only hit solid wall. She flew straight over him and her spear stuck itself in the wall, leaving her hanging there. She pursed her lips as awkward silence took over. Asgore stared at her strangely with a tilted head. "Do...do you need help?"

"No! I got it!" Undyne insisted, as she struggled fiercely to get the spear unstuck, until she succeeded and fell to the ground. "HA! You're in trouble now! I'm not falling for that trick again! Here I come...again. NGAAAAAAAHHHH!"

This continued for quite a while. As in six hours straight. No seriously. Undyne would get tired, tske a breather, and she would take a shot at Asgore as many times as she could muster. She never even got a single hit. Asgore was very gentle and patient with her. He continued to dodge every attack she threw at her, whether intentionally or not. Mostly because he didn't want the flowers to suffer for her outbursts. But another great deal of it had to do with just how **determined** she was to defeat him. It was highly impressive and worthy of praise. Even if her attacks connected, they wouldn't do much damage anyway. It was an attempt to spare her confidence.

After yet another fruitless attempt to hit the King, Undyne finally passed out on the floor. Asgore sighed a little as he scooped her up and carried her out of the room.

The next day, Undyne woke up in a fit of shock. She was in a rather large bed, and looked up to the ceiling. She realized she must be in Asgore's room. Why would he bring her in his room, though?

Didn't fully matter right now. She was fully rested, she now has the energy to challenge Asgore to a rematch. She lost horribly. And worst of all, he never threw a single blow her way, he never fought back at all. She wasn't even a threat to him in the slightest. That was deeply wounding to her pride. The only thing she could do is try again. She got out of the king-sized bed and formed a spear in her hand. Then she rushed out of the room and went out to confront him again.

"ASGORE! I WANT YOU TO FI-"

She was a bit surprised to find that Asgore was now sitting at a table, sipping some tea as if their 'battle' never happened. All he's done is tuck her into his King-Sized bed, clean up the mess she made, and took a nap outside. Seems he had the same idea about tucking in for the night. He spotted her in the middle of the doorway and waved.

"Howdy again! While you were all tuckered out, I got to work and made the both of us some nice morning Golden Flower Tea. Would you like to share some with me?" Asgore said with a warm smile.

Undyne wanted to say no and continue her attack. But she has always followed a very important lesson that NO MATTER WHAT...one must always treat their houseguest with complete hospitality, and the reciever must always be grateful for it. She realized what she pulled a couple hours ago was in complete violation of that, and felt a bit of shame. Now feeling like she owed the large fluffy king her gratitude for taking care of her after exhausting herself, Undyne made her was to the table and sat in the chair next to him. She then takes the cup emitting a vague amount of steam and sipped it slowly.

It's a little hot, but other than that...it's pretty good.

Asgore sets his own cup of tea down and turned his head towards the small child. "Now...about what happened yesterday." Undyne nervously looks down in embarrassment. "I do believe we got off on the wrong foot. So how about we try again with a bit of a warmer greeting? As you may or may not know, I am King Asgore Dreemurr. I would like to your name as well."

Undyne pouted a little while still keeping her eyes down. "...The name's Undyne."

"Well then, Undyne. Care to inform me on what the reason was for yesterday's episode?"

Undyne had been told by Gerson that despite Asgore's terrifying power, he was actually a very nice guy. She thought he was joking about that, but the hospitality and patience he's showing to her is proving her wrong. So as a bit of apology, she repressed her urge to pounce at him again, and turned to make eye contact with him.

"I wanted to fight you because you were the strongest. A lot of monsters I've met recognized you because of how freaking tough you are." She lifted a fist and clenched it tightly. "So I wanted to fight you and prove that I was the toughest!" She then lowered the fist as her eye lowered in self-disappointment. "But...I couldn't land a single hit on you. And your answer to me attacking you was to let me rest on your bed and give me some good morning tea. Now I just feel...bad."

Asgore sat up a little and rubbed his furry beard in thought. "Ah...I see. Many monsters know me more for my strength than my kindness, sometimes. You thought that if you defeated me, more monsters would recognize you? Is it for popularity, of some sort?"

"No, of course not! I don't care about some stupid stuff like popularity!" Undyne said with her teeth slightly clenched. She then looked down once again, into her refilled teacup. "I did it because...if I became the strongest...people would recognize me more...and then they'd want to be my friend. People would like a strong friend...right...?"

 _Ah...I see._ Asgore sighed inwardly, realizing what this was REALLY about. She had the impression that being the strongest monster would attract more monsters to her and befriend her. His guess was that she might have been a bit rough when dealing with other monster children, and that scares them away. They might show gratitude for her helping, but that's it. She must be such a lonely child, because it didn't look like her parents were around either, judging by her rough-looking image. This child genuinely wants to be strong AND gain friends, but she has no idea how to do the latter.

But she could learn both.

Asgore place a warm, fuzzy hand on the top of her head, gently petting her by her red hair. The gesture made her look up towards him in curiosity. "Excuse me...would you like to know how to beat me?"

Her eye widened at this. "What...? You'd do that for me?"

"Why of course. As King of the Underground, it's my job to not only keep peace and order among the monsters, but to also keep them as happy as I possibly can. Even if it's something like this. If surpassing me in strength one day will make you happy, then one day it will be done. Besides, I can't remain the strongest forever, right? It's just the way it is." Asgore smiled. "I know you have a warmer side to yourself, Undyne. Perhaps I can also teach you how to reach that as well. That way, people would definitely want to be your friend. How does that sound?"

Undyne was once again blown away by the amount of kindness the King of Monsters was showing her. Even if there was another way to gain friends besides being the strongest, he'd actually help her reach the goal of defeating him anyway. Her reaction to this...was to grin widely.

"Fuhuhuhuhuhu! Alright, Asgore! I accept this challenge! I'm gonna surpass you in no time, just watch!"

Asgore had a couple of things to think about this comment. She might have misinterpreted a bit of his statements by reading it as a challenge. However, that seems to be motivating her even more. Plus...that has to be one of the brightest smiles he's ever seen in his life. He almost made it a requirement for her to smile like this whenever she comes over to train. He let out a deep chuckle, and set down his tea.

"You really are **determined,** are you? Alright. We've both had our fill of tea, so we might as well start right now." He stood up, and began walking to the furthermost back of his castle. He didn't want to damage his garden. "Come."

"Yeah!" She jumped off her chair and followed the King enthusiastically. Gerson was watching the seen from behind one of the doors, and actually gave a chuckle himself.

"Wa ha ha...Well I'll be. She actually got him to agree..."

 **(Fast Forward)**

 _CLANG!_

A strong powerful gust rushed through the halls as Undyne's spear clashed against Asgore's Trident. It was only a couple moments after that she was forced to jump back and let the Trident drill into the ground. The King pulled it out of the ground easily, staring down Undyne seriously. She returned the glare.

It had been quite a while, a few years in fact. Undyne has been training under Asgore since then. She's shown a stunning amount of growth from a child into a grown woman. Her red hair has grown longer, she's obviously grown taller, has become quite well-endowed, and her eyes have turned much more intense. The left one was now covered by an eyepatch, which to her was the greatest gain of all. Why? In her own words, 'I look like a badass!'

She must have really wanted that eye patch, huh?

Her countless days of training has definitely payed off, enough that she became Captain of the Royal Guard not too long ago, but not recently, either. She has gained a bit of muscle which is an understatement on how powerful she really was. Her physical strength has obvious went up many levels. Her telumkinesis has also gained an upgrade. Her spears have gotten significantly stronger and she can summon many more at once in order to achieve more maneuvers such as a spear barrage, or a spear from below.

And naturally, the more progress Undyne showed the more pressure Asgore put on her and showed less restraint. That only made her much more enthusiastic about their sparring sessions, as he's slowly taking her more seriously. She still hasn't landed a hit on him yet, as she was not at a level for him to go all out, but she was definitely getting better. And she's definitely gotten much kinder than she was before, while still being a bit rough. This was needed, because Asgore has been through some... _ **really**_ difficult stuff lately. And at the moment, her relationship with him was one of the few things keeping him from falling into full-blown dangerous levels of depression.

Right now was their latest spar. Her training paid off at it's greatest today.

Undyne summon more spears above her head and directed them in Asgore's direction. He twirled his trident in a circle and deflected them all, causing them to fly in different directions or vanish completely. She clenched her teeth as she ran at him, with a spear in each hand, and thrusted them both in his direction. He swung at them, causing them to disappear again. He then swung downward, and she sidestepped quickly and clenched her fist.

An opening.

She first made a small leap, using his own spear as her leverage, and jumped straight at him. His eyes widened as he had no time to brace himself for the blow or try to block it. She swung her fist hard in his face, and it was strong enough to actually make him stumble and fall on his back, picking up dust from the ground. She panted heavily as she landed on the ground, staring at him with a widened eye.

She...she did it. She hit him.

She actually managed to score a hit on him! After so many losses, she finally got a decent hit on him, and it looked like it did some damage! She should have been ecstatic, she should have been celebrating. She thought she would be incredibly happy with this development...

But she wasn't.

She didn't know why, but all she felt as she stared down on Asgore's fallen form and now bleeding nose...was guilt. She felt, like...REALLY bad about hitting the guy she was trying to surpass. It was silly, but true. She held her hand out while moving towards him.

"A-ASGORE!" She shouted in concern. "Are you okay! I didn't actually think I'd knock you down like that!" She shook her head, her wild hair waving in front of her. _That really looked like it hurt! What was I thinking? Idiot! I got far too excited and-_

"Hehehehe..."

"?" Undyne looked up to find the orgin of the noise. Asgore slowly stood back up, while looking at the ground, his eyes overshadowed by his hair and floppy ears.

"Hehehehe..."

"H-Huh...?" Was he... _laughing_?

"BAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Asgore let out a deep, hearty laugh hat echoed throughout the castle and caused Undyne to jump back in surprise. After stopping, he placed his hands on the confused woman's shoulders, his eyes practically beaming. "Undyne! You finally did it! You managed to land a clean blow on me, and I felt it! I really did! That was amazing!"

Undyne blinked her visble eye in very complicated confusion. She knocked him down and left him with just a bloody nose...and yet he was praising her for it? _Who the hell praises someone for kicking their ass?!_ She thought long and hard, and sighed in exhaustion. _Asgore. He's just the kind of person who would beam at that._

"Asgore...I'm gonna be totally straight with you." She finally said. "You are...a total weenie!" She used her shining grin while stating this.

Asgore just grinned goofily at her. "Well then. If I'm a weenie, and you're being trained by me...doesn't that make you a weenie in training?" Her grin falls.

"What?! NO!"

"It kinda does, doesn't it?"

"YOU'RE the only weenie here. I'm the super cool one!"

"Oh come now!"

"Nope."

"Undyyyyyyynneeee!"

"Forget it!"

"You really won't admit it?"

"I won't."

"Hmph! You're a stubborn one."

"Considering all your years of training me, I thought you would have figured that out by now."

Asgore smiled and wrapped an arm around her, taking her a bit by surprise. "In all seriousness...I'm very proud of you." Undyne was still a bit taken aback by this, but nonetheless her grin returned. "Now...how about we have a tea break?"

"Heh. Sounds good."

They both turned away from the room they were currently in, heading for the kitchen. Asgore once again looked towards her. "I heard that you've made quite a cherished friendship with our Royal Scientist, Alphys. Fitting, since you've been deemed captain of the Royal Guard. Are you two getting along well?"

"What? That nerd?" Undyne huffed a little, but then she turned her head and rubbed her arm, a small blush on her face. "She's...pretty cool, I guess."

Undyne has met Alphys quite some time ago, and their friendship took off quickly. she was unsure, but it might have even evolved into something deeper...

However, that's a story for another occasion.

 **(Present Day)**

"Ever since then, I've been training weenies to fight!" Undyne stated. "Weenies like...Papyrus. He's just...Sans, he's your little brother. You know where I'm going with this and what I'm talking about."

"yep. paps couldn't willingly harm anyone to save his own life." Sans said with a chuckle. He lowered his head a little as the light of his eyes disappeared. "i know this very... _very_ well..." Undyne And Toriel were a bit taken aback by the somewhat pained tone he adopted when he said that, but Sans thanked the fact that they didn't think too deeply about it. His eyes then reappeared as he looked back up. "anyway, it looks like storytime's over for now. what'd ya think of it...mk...?"

The small armless monster child tried to stay awake to hear the story, he reallh did. But his exhaustion from being so energeric finally took it's toll, and he had fallen asleep. Frisk was also a bit sleepy, but was still very much awake. 'Flowey' paid a lot of attention to the story. Asriel and Flowey interpreted the story in two different directions, actually.

 _"Tch. I heard this story before many times, and the only thing that was different was the way it was told. Undyne was a hothead, she cooled off a bit when she met Asgore, they become friemds while he trained her, blah blah blah! What use is that information?"_

 _Dad was feeling crushed when me and Chara died on the same day, and Mom left soon after. His thirst for war disappeared as well, and he really felt bad about his decision. But he kept training Undyne anyway because of his promise, and she unknowingly became his emotional crutch..._ Asriel sighed sadly as he sat down in his mental plane of flowers and hugged his knees. _If Undyne wasn't there...Dad might have been much worse off than he already is._

Toriel rubbed her cheek softly as she processed this story. "I see. Your training from Asgore was also a way for you to attempt to connect with other monsters a bit more. You wanted strength and friendship. I had a feeling you were being seen more often."

"Yeah!" Undyne nodded. "But with the whole...you know...he was in a really bad place, and I visited him more often to make sure he doesn't do anything crazy to himself. No one can really tell exactly how he feels because not many were directly with him and he wasn't a fan of talking about it. I just..." Undyne sighed, as she stared down at the human boy in her arms. "Hm...Frisk. If there's anything you and Asgore have in common, is that you're both utterly wimpy...and you have really big hearts. The way things are going, you two are going to have to fight. And just like you, he _really_ doesn't want to. And as for Queen Toriel...well...uh..." Undyne was at a loss for words. "...it's a bit complicated with you."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Toriel...I know you hate his guts with a passion...but Asgore isn't bad. He's just a really nice guy who made really stupid mistakes that he wished he could take back. He says he's all for the Human Souls plan, he puts on a happy face for everyone and he might actually mean it, but he isn't fooling me. As I got older, I began to know better. That declaration he made pretty much screwed any chance of permanent happiness he might have had left." Undyne rubbed a hand through her hair. "I've seen it mess with him when he's awake and when he sleeps. With each human soul he gains, he looks a bit worse every time. He hates himself for doing this, and he can't back out of it or else the Underground loses all hopes and dreams it still has. They depend on him, and it's tearing him apart." She then turned towards Toriel again. "I just...thought that if I was the one who took the last human soul, then he would feel a bit worse about it because it wasn't by his hands. Then I actually came face to face with this one...I couldn't find any good reason to try and kill him without lying to myself..."

Sans had a feeling. He didn't have an accurate lock on it, but he had a feeling that this subject was going to go south, really fast. Frisk and 'Flowey' had the same feeling. _i got a bad feelin' about this._

Undyne slowly placed Frisk on the ground, placed her arms on the table, and her hospitality face grew to one of emotionless proportions. Toriel felt a bit uncomfortable. "So...where were _you_ during that entire ordeal, huh?" She turned towards Sans. "You shared knock-knock jokes with her around your patrol routes, one lead to some Ruins...right?" Sans raised his hands up in a 'I'd better not get in the middle' kind of vibe. "Yeah. So you were just sitting in some hole all by yourself for who knows how long...while Asgore had to deal with all this grief and guilt without any family left to support him. He told me that much, you know. He told me how you thought that he was too soft because he couldn't just take one human soul, cross the Barrier, take six more, and break the barrier in a snap." She actually snapped her fingers to emphasize this. "I can't lie and say that it doesn't sound like a better idea than just waiting around for humans to come. But...you KNEW that he was deeply against killing JUST as much as you are...and yet you just left him there to fend for himself...because you thought he was a _coward?_ FUHUHUHUHUHUHUHU!" She did her signature laugh, though in a mocking tone.

"kid. flower. that's our cue to leave. this is gonna get ugly really quickly." Sans warned as he picked up the sleeping Monster Kid and 'Flowey's' pot, and left out the door, closing it behind them.

"What are you trying to say, Undyne?" Toriel narrowed her eyes.

"Ha...I just find it really damn funny. No. _Hilarious_ even. Asgore may have made some pretty stupid decisions, but at least he's still trying to keep the Underground together as best as he can. While you...you were just sitting in the Ruins all by yourself, waiting everything out. It really makes me wonder. Between you abandoning us out of 'disgust', and Asgore being stuck with a terrible plan, but enduring it for the monsters sake..." She suddenly slammed her hands on the table, making Toriel jump in surprise.

"JUST WHO THE HELL IS THE **REAL** COWARD BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU?!"

The booming statement shook Undyne's entire house. Toriel brought her hands up to her mouth, her eyes widened with shock. Undyne was breathing heavily from having shouted so loudly at the former Queen. But remembering Asgore's pained faces whenever he brought up the Human Souls Plan, or how deeply he missed his family, then discovered why the wife disappeared...she couldn't help but explode. She may have been respectful of her before, but remembering all of that, she no longer cares. Not right now. She was too pissed off.

"You listen to me. No matter what insults I may have thrown at the guy, I deeply care about Asgore. He's the closest I can possibly get to having a real father. He does _not_ deserve to have anymore bullshit to deal with. Especially from you." Undyne glared at her after she called her breathing. "You think you're so high and mighty because you took a more 'moral' path? Try and word it any way you like, but your hands are just as dirty as ours! You ran off and abandoned us to fend for ourselves when the monsters needed _both_ of their rulers the most. Tch, some Queen you are. To my eye, you're a bigger coward than he is!"

Toriel...was astonished by Undyne's brutal honesty about her feelings towards her and her actions. She didn't know how to properly respond.

"Just...grr. Great. I got myself worked up and it's not going away anytime soon." Undyne growled as she got up from her seat and made her way to her door, practically kicking it open and startling Frisk and 'Flowey'. "I'm gonna go blow off some steam!" She muttered as she stormed off in a huff.

'Flowey' switched to his Asriel face and turned towards Sans. "Undyne...really blew up at Mom..."

"yeah kid...she did. but...it's something that she needed to hear." Sans turned towards the house. "undyne's right about one thing. no matter how we slice it, _all_ of us have dirtied our hands at some point."

"What do you mean?"

"lemme give you a reminder in case you forgot. the humans are the ones who started the war, based on fear of what we could do. sure, monsters _could_ take human souls and make themselves more powerful because we have that ability. but _really..._ why would we attack the humans for that? we weren't bothering anybody. we were honest-to-god just minding our own business, while the humans were minding theirs. hell, we even wanted to become friends with them. their response? try and wipe us out, because we were a threat. not an _active_ threat, mind you. just the _thought_ of it was enough to let their fear completely rule their judgement. of course it's in their nature to fear the unknown and act irrationally due to it. and after we had our asses handed to us hard enough, we said uncle, the humans sealed us in the underground with a powerful magic spell, and _boom!_ here we are."

Frisk nodded at the truth of the story, even though he still lacked a bit of understanding of it.

"at first, living in the underground wasn't so bad. we settled in, put a couple buildings here, stores there, neighborhoods a bit to the left, blah blah blah. it was tough, but we made it work." Sans continued. Then his eyes went hollow for a moment. **"Then there was the incident with you and Chara."**

Asriel's eyes widened.

"this is what i'm gathering from what you told me. chara had the idea to kill himself and let you absorb his soul so you could cross the barrier and gather six more. but you couldn't do it. so you just tried to return his body to his village so they could bury him...they attacked you without hesitation. they attacked a _child,_ monster or not, without mercy and you died from your wounds. of course the monsters, and your dad, got pissed about this and decided to wage war on the humans as soon as they got the human souls they needed. can you believe the small but visible irony? they might get pissed at us because we killed six of their kids regardless of whether or not they were innocent. but our beloved royal prince died for trying to do the right thing, because they _assumed_ the dead kid he was carrying was your doing."

"I...I..." The Fallen Prince stuttered, hesitating to make more eye-contact.

Sans put his hands in the air. "listen. asgore feels like garbage for being responsible for the deaths of six human kids. that might have been uncalled for, but the humans pissed us off and wronged us too many times. first with the merciless attack without warning or mercy due to _possibility_ of us abusing our ability, then they got our prince killed for trying to return his friend to them out of respect. not only that, look at chara. he can wipe out all the monsters of the underground, _single-handedly_. he's only a year older than you are. of course we weren't taking any changes at first, whether or not the kids were bad. and lemme tell ya, a couple of them were at least _some_ form of rotten, especially the one with the tutu. and i'll admit it, a couple of them were just scared. but after seeing it yourself during your time as flowey, can you really say that monsters are the flat-out bad guys or that humans are the flat-out bad guys?" Sans shook his head. "there isn't a black or white morality line for humans or monsters on our history. nope. just a huuuuuuuuuuge unclear blur of gray."

Asriel stared at the ground, his petals drooping silently. There was just...so much animosity between humans and monsters before he was born. And due to his own hesitation and Chara's unholy influence, they made the problem significantly **worse.** All the current problems of the Underground...was their fault.

"but if you ask me..." Sans continued once more, causing Asriel to stare at him. "i stopped caring about how and why the humans and we monsters got their hands dirty. now...i just want us to clean them thoroughly and finally be happy together. we can't get over our pasts individually. both sides have to own up for their wrongdoings." he turned towards Undyne's house, where Toriel was staring down at the table, in deep thought. "for everyone's sake."

Asriel was once again thinking over what Sans was saying to him. It keeos escaping his mind that despite the skeletons lazy demeanor, he has a much deeper understanding of their situation than anyone thinks he does. And he has a feeling that this lecture he was getting had something to do with Chara, and that he should decide how to deal with him before it's too late. But even now...it was still difficult to find a solution.

Asriel lowered his head. _...a_ _n answer. There has to be an answer. There has to be a way!_

 _"Well, idiot. Did you learn anything from Undyne? Like you did from the Old Hag and Papyrus?"_ The Flowey side of him taunted.

 _...yes. Yes I did. I figured out something very important._ Asriel mentally responded. _Everyone in the Underground did something bad in some shape or form because of what they've been through. Everyone makes a mistake they can't take back, at some point. But...does that really make them bad guys...?_ He shook his head.

Time. He was getting closer...but he needed more time. Right now, he and Frisk had to focus on trying to heal the already damaged relationship between Undyne and Toriel.

In the meantime, Sans teleported near the river, sighing as he caught his breath. "never thought that having to bring that up. i really exhausted my breath with that one. but i don't have lungs. heh."

"Tra la la. It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, skeletons are punning." He jumped slightly as he turned towards the river person, who was sitting casually on the board, always shrouded in deep mystery.

"oh. it's just you. man, i keep forgetting how weird you are." Sans sighed.

"Tra la la. The man who speaks in hands shall return."

Sans eye glowed cyan in sudden seriousness, as he turned towards the river person in shock. "What did you just say?!"

"Tra la la. A duel between two angels is approaching. Keep your distance."

"Duel...? What does that mean?"

"Tra la la. An extra human soul that's here in this world...yet it isn't. Tra la la!"

After that, the River Person went silent. Sans sighed when he realized that was all he was going to get right now. He rubbed his bony neck in confusion. He's been hit with three mystery statements that now won't leave his mind until he can understand what they mean. Right now, Sans had no idea what they meant. And because of this, he'll have no idea how to use them to prepare for whatever might happen.

Thus, Sans grew to hate not knowing.

* * *

 **In some sort of sense, I like the River Person. Adorably mysterious. Says silly stuff on one hand, them mysterious stuff on the other...and it's all on random chance.**

 **...I think Undyne and Toriel got off on the wrong foot. looks like the former's relation to Asgore made her hostile towards the latter. Here's to hope they work that out in the next chapter.**

 **After that, it'll be time to check on Alphys and Papyrus.**

 **Until then, later!~**


	10. Realizations and A Surprise Variable

**Me: Uh...I'm not sure this chapter is too good...I-**

 **Undyne: STOP CONFLICTING OVER WHETHER YOU MADE THIS CHAPTER TOO LONG OR NOT! IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH IT, THEN IT'S FINE! JUST GO WITH IT!**

 **Me: I'M SORRY! *fearful whimper***

 **Next chapter, start!**

* * *

To Frisk's disappointment, officially befriending Undyne was going to have to wait a couple hours. Her rather hostile approach to Toriel's attitude towards Asgore made her forget about hospitality and just flat-out verbally attack her. Telling her that she had no right to call Asgore a coward when _she_ was the one to leave the kingdom to rot in it's illusion of false hope. That wasn't taking the higher ground...that was avoiding responsibility.

Sans was sure that the way Undyne addressed the issue really bites. What makes it harsher was that she was one-hundred percent right. It was in a brutal manner, but Toriel needed to hear it. Now they would see what her reaction to it was. Needless to say that she didn't take it very well.

The first thing she did after sitting in Undyne's house, contemplating what she said to her, she got out of her seat, pushing in the chair, and walked out of the house. She made sure to close the door behind her, because she was a bit concerned that leaving it open would spark some...mischievous intentions. Sans snickered silently at such a notion. No one was stupid or suicidal enough to steal from Undyne. But that's besides the point. Toriel walked away from the house with an unreadable face expression. Sans and Frisk were able to sense that she was upset, but they wouldn't be able to tell by her face. It was the face she made every timeline when she was trying to prevent Frisk from leaving the Ruins by directly fighting him, so he wouldn't be in danger and she wouldn't be alone again. And eventually, that emotionless mask crumbled with time.

So they were going to have to wait out how long it took for her mask to drop. Until then...Sans picked up the still slumbering Monster Kid. _he got to meet his idol and learn of her history before dozin' off. best to end his little expedition on a good note to spare him from seeing that little performance for himself._ "tori. we should take the kid home, dontcha think? frisk and the flower can stick around with gerson. now that undyne is cool, no one here is gonna hurt him."

"...Yes. I think that would be best."

Sans' grin shrunk a bit when he heard her tone. It was utterly impassive, which was very unlike her. Frisk actually grew even more worried for her emotional state because of this. Though Sans was able to guess what was going on in her mind. She gravely upset, and didn't want Frisk to see it on her face.

'Flowey' gazed at her face with sadness, petals wilting a bit while he stared down into his pot. _Mom...Mom is feeling really bad about this, isn't she? I don't think she's been approached about the subject like this before..._

Sans decided to take action, as he held Toriel's paw. "alright, tori. it's pretty obvious your mind is in a pretty bad place right now. i'm gonna use a shortcut to take us back to snowdin, drop off mk, then we'll talk at grillby's. sound like a plan?"

Toriel's facial expression didn't change, as she used her free paw to slide her hood over her head. "Okay."

Sans sighed a little, then turned to Frisk. "you be careful, alright? you've navigated through here on your own once, you can do it again. and i'll repeat, since undyne is cool now, no monsters should be attacking you. but whatever you do, don't leave waterfall until we get back. understand?" Frisk looked at the currently emotionless Toriel with a hint of sadness, before turning to Sans and nodding. "good kid." with a wink, he, Toriel, and Monster Kid disappeared, leaving the child and flower on their own for the time being.

 **(Snowdin)**

Sans and Toriel exited one of the former's shortcuts, with the still sleeping Monster Kid in tow. The former handed the child off to one of the townspeople, placed his bony hands in his pockets, and lightly nudged Toriel.

"welp, here we are again. home sweet snowdin. am i right?" Toriel didn't even crack a smile. Sans sighed once again. _well, it was worth a shot._ "anyway...let's head inside grillby's where it's warm." Sans lead her into the well-known pub, with Toriel making sure to shift her hood over her head again.

He pushed the doors open, and spread his arms apart. "heya everyone. guess who's back."

"Oh, Sans!" Dogamy shifted up instantly, along with his wife, Dogeressa.

"You were gone longer than usual. Did your brother finally get you to do some work for a change?"

"yeah. pap has been wearing me down, lately. so i actually started doing some sork, and he got rattled bones over it."

"Really...? And what did you do next?" Doggo raised his eyebrows.

"easy. i took a break."

"But you ALWAYS take breaks!"

"hey. standin' around doing nothing is hard work." Sans weakly argued.

"Sansy...who's the mysterious lady next to you?" Doggo asked, as Toriel his her face deeper into the shadows of her hood. Then she stopped moving entirely, and he blinked. "What?! Now she's gone?! I can't see her!" Being able to only see moving things...such a disadvantage...

"ya can't see her, she doesn't wanna be publicaly seen, and i don't have eyeballs. we must all be on a blind date."

"Oh Sans!" Everyone in the room chanted, except for Grillby, who only sighed. He was actually enjoying the punless hours for a while. Well in any case, he was glad to see his number one visitor.

"ah. grillby. I can't help but notice that everyone chanted _sans_ you. what? did a little bit of your flames die out because i haven't been here earlier?" Grillby groaned again, while the skeleton held his hands up. "alright, i'm just joshing. here, tori. sit with me and get comfy." Toriel looked forward a bit, then nodded silently as she and Sans sat down on two of the chairs.

There was the distinct and loud sound of a woopee cushion losing it's air. Sans' grin widens. "whoops. didn't mean to startle ya there. i heard some weirdo likes to put woopee cushions on the seats without anyone's notice." Sans pulled out the now exhausted cushion from under him, and tossed it aside. Toriel stifled a snicker, which was enough for Sans at the moment. "anyway, i'll be having the usual order of burg. unless my lady friend would like something for herself?"

"No thank you. I'm quite alright."

"eh. more for me." Sans shrugged as Grillby went to get him his food. Sans takes the nearest ketchup bottle and begins chugging it with reckless abandon. Toriel took the time to look around, without showing her face, and noticed how extremely casual everything was. No weights placed on anyone, nothing serious going on in anyone's mind, it was a place to relax, take your mind off things, and despite the irony directed at the owner, chill out. And also possibly get drunk beyond belief. But, details, details.

"alright, tori. we're in a safe haven. well...the haven is filled with grease...but it's safe. no pressure. no serious judging. no one shadowy looming over our shoulders. just a place to hang out, chat, eat and drink...that kinda thing. so..." he sets the ketchup bottle down, and turned towards her. "how about you tell me what's on your mind?"

Toriel took a couple moments to compose herself under her hood, gathering her thoughts and her emotions. Her emotionless facade finally broke as a look of sadness took it's place. Sans braced himself for possible recoil in case she might snap. "...How long have you known?"

"eh?"

"How long have you known who I truly was, Sans? Because when Undyne blurted it out to me, you didn't seem too surprised. In fact, it's almost as if you've known the entire time."

The skeleton looked like he was seriously pondering this question...until he shrugged. " _tibia_ honest, it really makes it easy to tell who's family you belong to because of your robes. hiding them was a good way to hide your identity from everyone. but what really kept me from saying anything about it was that it didn't really matter to me. i found a friend who actually likes my jokes, queen or no queen." Sans chugged his ketchup again, and placed it back down. "i know that can't be the only thing on your mind. what else?"

Toriel thought it was worth a try to turn the path of the conversation away from the subject, but Sans was onto her. She turned away from him as her floppy ears and black hood overshadowed her eyes. She still heard the words that kept ringing in her head:

 _"JUST WHO THE HELL IS THE **REAL** COWARD BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU?!"_

"Sans...do you think I am a coward? Instead of helping the kingdom stay together...I left it to rot in it's false hope because I thought my husband's choice was wrong...?" She asked as she pondered over her past choices, and Undyne's reaction to it.

 _"Try and word it any way you like, but your hands are just as dirty as ours! You ran off and abandoned us to fend for ourselves when the monsters needed both of their rulers the most. Tch, some Queen you are. To my eye, you're a bigger coward than he is!"_

"ah. the heart of the issue." Sans leaned back a little. "well tori...both of you were in quite a lot of grief due to losing both of your kids, and it caused both of you to make some pretty stupid decisions. he decided to wait for human souls to come down instead of going after them. you decided to just leave the kingdom altogether when it needed the both of you more than ever." he got out a comb and began combing his skull...Toriel could only look on in confusion. "now, that's a pretty good reason for undyne to call you a coward. the other good one was that _you_ were the one who had a better, more efficient plan to break the barrier and free the monsters quickly. but you don't like the idea of killing anymore than he does, yet you're accusing him of having cold feet, then left both him and the kingdom behind. tori...lemme be straight with ya. that's not only being a coward, you were kinda being a hypocrite."

 _Hypocrite..._

That was it. That was the word Toriel was looking for. Criticizing Asgore for not going through with _her_ idea just because it was more efficient, even though she herself couldn't go through with it, and calling him out as a coward for going with the first. Then leaving straight after to let the kingdom gradually fall apart while she hid away in the Ruins, avoiding her responsibility entirely and leaving Asgore alone to burden everyone's hopes and dreams...when he also two lost two children that day, and was forced to cause the deaths of six more. But she didn't once think about how all this was affecting _him._

It's slowly becoming clear to her that she might have made a colossal mistake in judgement. He was put in a terrible situation he could have backed out of just like she did...but no. As the King, he had _and_ chose to ride out his choice to the end, despite how outright _**horrible**_ it was, and had to endure his own crumbling heart and constantly repressed tears. By what both Gerson and Undyne told her, Asgore is, at this point of time, perfectly comfortable with his own death if it means penance. But he can't just let himself die, either. That will only decrease the Kingdom's hopes even further or destroy them entirely, because it'll look like he's given up. And if their King gave up, the monsters would be right behind him, and then the Underground would truly fall apart without hope of recovery.

Either Asgore gets the last human soul he needs to break the Barrier, therefore ending the monsters misery and his own misery would at least be benefitting his people. Or he is killed by a human's hands, like he feels like it should be, for causing the deaths of six others, and it'll feel like penance at some angle. Plus, in a way, his own suffering would finally end.

With the deaths of Asriel and Chara, Toriel was his last emotional crutch, as well as his remaining family. But because she abandoned him, the idea of his own death doesn't even bother him anymore. It's now a sense of relief, and a punishment he feels would suit him best. Undyne was given the burden of making sure it never resorts to that. She too has become an emotional crutch for him, but she already realized that it can't last forever. The damage was too great and the scars were too deep.

Grillby had just come back at last after such a long silence between the two friends. Sans smiled. "ah, grub's here. so tori, about that-" he stopped suddenly when he noticed the space below her face had now one wet spot. Then looked up to see Toriel's face still covered in shadows...but the tears going down her furry cheeks were clearly visible. He didn't provoke any sound, he just waited for her to say something first.

"...I...have been quite unfair...haven't I?" Toriel chuckled in self-hatred. "All this time...I've been blaming him for the state of the kingdom and the monsters within it...not even once taking into consideration for how _he_ feels. I had a more efficient plan to break the barrier, but my personal morality kept me from doing such a thing...so I expected him to do it without thinking about how the consequences would affect him. And...I harshly called him out for being cowardly while _I'm_ the one who dumped all of the responsibility, all of the monsters hopes and dreams, all of the burdens of his choices on his shoulders, and then disappeared without a trace. And to top it all off, he's prepared to die at any time, without ever hating me. Even though he has every right to..." The tears kept falling down her face as she tried wiping them away. "Heh...hehehahaha...excuse me...Sans."

"...yeeaaah...?" Sans was caught off-guard by her dead laughter.

"W...What do you call someone...who leaves their kingdom to die...because they thought they had a higher morality than them...?" There was an uncomfortable silence between them. "...a...a monster..." She mumbled, weakly and bitterly laughing at herself. Sans was certain that it's not the obvious meaning, like their species. She must really feel horrible right now. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her closer.

"now tori, i love a good joke as much as the next guy...but there's always a line." He said, rubbing her back as she leaned over to lie on his shoulder. "ya made a couple mistakes. we all do. yours are just...gonna be a bit more difficult to fix, that's all. and definitely more time."

"But...but how...?"

"well it's like what frisk probably wants you to do. what's that word? reconciliation? yeah. that's the word." Sans looked towards the ceiling. "believe me, tori. you're not the only one with their hands dirty. i'm not exactly the cleanest guy, either. and not just in home management."

"Really? But you seem so nice compared to other monsters."

"don't take it the wrong way. i am a decent guy. but...experiences have taught me that i sometimes have to make decisions i don't like. such as dealing with frisk. if he had come out on his own, i'd have to protect him, because that's what i promised you. to protect the next human that comes through that door. no joke this time, there are times when i am _**really**_ tempted to break that promise..."

Toriel's eyes widened as she turned towards Sans in shock. "What could Frisk possibly do that may force you to break your promise?"

Sans eyes hollowed as he stared at the counter, reflecting on her question. A rather dark but genuinely regretful line he was forced to make on a Genocide run passed through his mind...

 _ **"welp. sorry, old lady. this is why i don't make promises."**_

"Sans?"

The skeleton snapped out of it as the light returned to his eyes. That memory was horribly fractured, but it was still very much existent. That very first, horrible time, Sans had no idea what happened to his friend, or what would possess him to do such horrible things. But now that he _did_ know, he was dead-set on not letting Toriel know about it. He didn't think she'd be able to take it very well that one of her sons isn't as innocent as she thought he was. No. If luck was on their side, she'd never have to find out.

He shook his head and grinned. "nah, who am i kidding. there isn't any reason for breaking my promise. besides, we've been doing a good protecting him so far, haven't we?"

"I...I suppose so..."

"look, tori. the point is, you can still make things right between you and asgore. it ain't too late. the trick is that you _both_ have some apologizing to do. neither of you made very great judgments...but having your children die on the same day can really cloud a parent's judgment."

Toriel thought about it for a while. Being called out on her own mistakes allowed her to gain a significantly more sympathetic light over Asgore. She had been...unfair. Selfish. And just a tiny bit of hypocritical. And if she still knew Asgore well as she did many years ago, he wouldn't hate her at all for it. While she's been unjustly hating him for years. That...had to change. Soon.

"...You're right, Sans." Toriel nodded. "The state of the kingdom is also my responsibility, not just Asgore's. It was selfish and wrong of me to just leave all the burdens on his shoulders, knowing he can't handle it alone. I...have to confront him. So we can apologize together, repair what's left of our relationship, and try to fix the mess we _both_ made. It's..." She smiled sadly, staring at the ceiling. "It's what Asriel would have wanted."

The familiar echo isn't lost on Sans. He just smiled as he got off the stool and walked off. "grillby, i think we're done here. put it on my tab. c'mon, let's roll."

She nodded as she got off the stool and followed him outside. She snickered at the comments the other customers were making about us. "They seem to really be on us about the whole date thing, hm?"

"eh. they're kidders, just like me." Sans chuckled. "they know romance isn't really up my alley. too much work." He looked up towards her. "welp, what's your next move?"

"Hm...I think we should go back to Waterfall. Me and Undyne need a bit of heart-to-heart." Toriel smiled. Sans nodded as he placed his hand on her shoulder, and he warped them both back to Waterfall.

 **(Waterfall)**

After returning to Waterfall, Toriel was rather quick to make sure that Frisk was okay, and was under the care of Napstablook. She thoroughly thanked the ghost for his help, and took the child out of out of his hands. Though, she was a bit surprised with the company he had come across was as shy as Napstablook, even though she was certainly sure that he was at the Ruins as well.

After getting everything in order, and Asriel swiftly altering to his 'Flowey' face, Toriel made her way to Undyne's house. Sans gave her a small thumbs up. Toriel took a deep breath and knocked on the door a couple of times. It took a little bit of time, but the Royal Guard Captain eventually opened the door to greet them. Her face immediately soured upon seeing Toriel, however.

"What do you want?" She asked, annoyed. But Toriel could tell she definitely cooled down.

Toriel clasped her paws and gazed at Undyne apologetically. "Undyne. I have been thinking deeply about what you said. You're fiercely protective of Asgore because of your bond with him, hence your intense passion at my criticizing of him. However...I admit that there is plenty of truth to those words. I have been very unfair. And like you said...I was a coward to run away from my responsibility and leaving all of the burdens to Asgore. That was...highly unjust of me."

Undyne leaned against the doorway, with her arms folded. "Is this goin' somewhere? I do appreciate that you're admitting your paws are as dirty as the rest of ours...but I hope you're not expecting an 'I forgive you' from me. I'm not the one you personally wronged. Once you have Asgore's forgiveness, then, and _only then_...will you get mine."

The Former Queen chuckled awkwardly. "Of course...that mindset is understandable. Your loyalty to him is outstanding."

"Of course. He's done a lot for me. Asgore is one of those people you feel like you should protect from pain at any cost, or at the very least do your best to reduce it. He's somebody like this little punk right here." She says while rustling Frisk's hair. "Or somebody like Papyrus. Letting him into the Royal Guard wouldn't be the best idea, due to how naive and innocent he is. If he wasn't...well...he'd certainly be a worthy asset."

"What...? He would?"

"Idiotic, naive, and innocent that he is...he's actually MUCH more powerful than he looks. But it's becuase of those three things that he can't bring himself to harm someone out of pure hostility, if at all. Hence why I keep him out...don't tell him I said this." She glared at them in warning which they took quickly. "Yeah. That's why I took a shot to teach him cooking. So that...I dunno. Maybe sooner or later he'll choose to do something else with his life. It's more up his alley I feel, because he likes spaghetti so freaking much." Undyne grinned widely...then it fell. "Hold on a second..."

"uh oh." Sans grin fell just slightly.

"Papyrus...is at Alphys's right now, isn't he?"

"oooohhh boy..."

"HE MISSED HIS DAILY COOKING LESSON!"

"undyne no."

"AND IF HE'S NOT HERE FOR IT..."

"undyne. please stop."

"YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE IT UP FOR HIM!"

"welp. she's not listening. can't say I didn't give it a try."

Undyne grabbed Frisk and had him tucked under her arm, while she grabbed Toriel and held her over her head without effort, much to the goat mother's shock, and brought them both inside. Sans just accepted the inevitable and walked inside the house after them, 'Flowey' in tow. Undyne set both Toriel and Frisk down and jumped up high, then onto the counter. Sliding across it and knocking away all the stuff she currently had on it.

"That's right! Nothing has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! So if I give both of you HIS cooking lesson...I can become closer to one of my new friend, and not hate the other as much! FUHUHUHUHU!"

 _Frisk...how on earth can your face stay neutral even during this?!_ Asriel thought in shock as Frisk merely dusted himself off and prepared himself.

Undyne stomped the ground harshly and caused a small quake, causing ingredients such as tomatoes to fall from the ceiling, seemingly out of thin air...Toriel tried not to question it. "Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now, pound them to dust with your fists!" Not wanting to let his mentor down, Frisk clenched his fist, and punched the tomato with all of his might!

He knocked it over. It's not even scratched. Undyne was pumped anyway.

"YEAH! YEAH!" She pulled Toriel to the side. "Your turn, Tori!"

"U-Um...if I must..." Taking a deep breath, Toriel slide both of her sleeves down, as one of her fists lights up with flames. She then mashed one of the other tomatoes with a fiery slam, splattering the contents over the counter. 'Flowey' was now astounded by how quickly Toriel got swept up in this.

"eh. tomato tomato." And of course, Sans got his two cents in.

"YES! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! NOW IT'S MY TURN! NGAAAAH!" Undyne roared as she pounded her fist against the tomato...she smashed both that AND made a crack in the wall. As well as splattering more tomato content in their faces. She rubbed her neck sheepishly. "Uh...I'm sure this can be scraped into a bowl later...but right now...!" Yet another vicious slam of her boot, and a pot, and a pack of noodles once again materialized seemingly out of thin air. "...we add the noodles! Homemade noodles are the best!...but I usually by store brand!"

"Because they're cheaper?"

"YEAH! You get it!" Undyne lightly punched Toriel's shoulder...which still hurt quite a bit. Undyne rustled Frisk's hair. "Alright punk, it's your turn again!" Frisk nodded as he grabbed the noodles and threw everything into the pot as hard as he could...including the box. "EXCELLENT! Now it's time we stir the pasta!"

"they'll be stirring up trouble in no time." Sans quipped slyly.

"As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir, THE BETTER IT IS! Ready? Let's do it!" Frisk nodded as he began stirring the contents of the pot, doing his best to stir harder and harder with every minute passing. 'Flowey' has never seen such fierce stirring before. "UGH! Its not enough! Let me do it!" What proceeded was the relentless assault of a spear trying to be used to stir. Definitely not beating the pot to death, that's for sure. "FUHUHUHUHU! That's the stuff!"

Toriel was honestly beginning to question Undyne's culinary skills...but she was having too much fun. Plus, Frisk wasn't in _too_ much danger. Undyne was careful that Frisk didn't push himself too far, at least. Plus he looked like he was having so much fun...

"Now for the final step, definitely fitting for a pyrokinetic like yourself, Tori. TURNING UP THE HEAT!" She placed her hands on Toriel's shoulders. "Just think! The stove top shall symbolize your passion! Your hopes and dreams shall be a burning fire! Don't hold anything back!"

Toriel once again took a deep breath, as a small flame came to life under the pot. She quietly told Frisk to step back as the flames grew more intense.

"HOTTER!"

More intense...

"HOTTER DARNIT!"

Even more intense...

 **"HOTTER!"**

Now it's INCREDIBLY intense! It was amazing! But then the pot caught on fire...

"Wait...that's probably too much...!"

"HIT THE DECK!" Sans shouted as he grabbed 'Flowey' while Toriel grabbed Frisk, as the five of them leapt out of the house right before it exploded. There was a burst of flames that exploded out of the windows and torched everything inside.

Toriel and Undyne slowly sat up while Frisk looked on at the now flaming house with a surprising amount of calmness that stunned 'Flowey' beyond belief. _Good golly, Frisk! Does ANYTHING phase you?!_ Asriel mentally sweatdropped. Then again, the child managed to stare down the nightmare-inducing Omega Flowey without flinching once, so...

"...Huh. No wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking." Undyne said nonchalantly as she got up and dusted herself off. Toriel also stood up while making sure Frisk was unharmed. Then she stared at Undyne in shock. Forget ALL of traps back in the Ruins. Cooking with Undyne was the most dangerous trap of all! And yet...

"Oh dear...despite the fact that that was _extremely_ dangerous...it was also quite fun."

"...Yeah. It was." Undyne smirked.

"So...are we on slightly more positive terms?"

"...it's a start." The fish warrior placed a hand on Toriel's shoulder, as well as staring at Frisk. "Hey. Like I said, Asgore is really tired of fighting. And he _really_ misses his wife. Both of you...please talk to him. I'm certain that if you do, you'll find some way to work things out amongst one another. I don't want him to be sad any longer, and I don't want my new friend to die for our sake. We'll find some other way to break the barrier. Somehow. Someway. Someday. Something like those."

"I do plan on forgiving Asgore. And we are going to have our talk. And...we're going to make up. We've both had our share of suffering, and I just want it to either end, or reduce it as much as I possibly can." Toriel petted Frisk's head. "We have to reconcile. Isn't that right, my child?" Frisk immediately nodded in agreement, and she gave the child a kiss on the forehead.

Toriel has made her choice. A major change in the timeline has been made once again. Now they just had to keep this up.

"well. i guess you could say...undyne's cooking lesson..." Sans grinned. "...went up in flames?"

Undyne groaned. "Sans..."

"the house couldn't take the heat."

"SANS!"

"sounds like only fire lives here now."

"If you don't shut-"

"hey. hey undyne. i saw your piano. and you know what they say..."

She grinded her teeth together viciously. "Sans...stop."

"you can tune a piano..."

"Sans I swear to god I will kill you."

"but you can't..."

"Don't you dare!"

"... _tuna fish_."

Toriel was now keeling over holding her sides, while laughing from the assault of fire jokes and the tuna joke at the expense of Undyne. Frisk was currently letting out his round of applause, though he didn't laugh. Sans was casually bowing at his great audience. The fish warrior just sighed as she facepalmed out of sheer annoyance.

Sans has very easy and plentiful ways to disintegrate her patience...

 **(The Void)**

 **"That timeline is farther than I thought it would be. Wow...this is utterly boring."** Chara groaned as he walked alongside the chained Genocide Alphys. **"Alphys, do you have something to say? Anything to dull out the silence?"**

"...You're feeling regret, aren't you? The silence is finally becoming too much for you." She smiled bitterly. "I suppose you're not as pure evil as you make yourself out to be."

 **"Alphys. I already told you. If you keep tempting me, I will make sure the light leaves your eyes."**

"First off, we _both_ know that your threat is empty just like this Void. Second off, the light of my life had already been extinguished. There is no light in my eyes anymore." She narrowed her eyes. "That light's name...was Undyne."

Chara groaned, not even bothering to face her. Of course she'd remind her of the fish warrior that always managed to give him hell because she's the only one he couldn't one-shot. **"Are you still going to go on about that?"**

"Undyne was the only person, whether she knew it or not, keeping me from taking my own life. I have nothing to live for anymore." Alphys said bitterly. She had a pretty strong feeling that what she said is very familiar thinking to Sans about Papyrus's death. All contact to Sans was nonexistenr from that point onward. She noticed that Chara's back was turned. She silently planned something desperate. It was the last chance she had. If it's going to work, she was going to have to keep him from turning back around. She looked back at the dark pillar that was chaining her as she put her scheme into action. She lifted her tail up, and it sparked silently with lighting magic. She had her own magic just like everyone else, but it was nowhere near as powerful as any of her friends. But for this, it'd be enough. But for now...she had to keep him occupied. "What do you plan to do when you get to this new timeline, anyway?"

 **"I'm going to have some fun, of course. I've accomplished my revenge a long time ago, and now there's nothing left for me to do. I won't be so quick this time. This newest unknown conquest needs to be...lengthy.** _ **Savored."**_

"Hmph. You really are some kind of freak, huh?"

 **"Oh wow. Quoting Sans? Really mature."**

"I really don't care about maturity at this point. What does it matter?" Alphys grumbled, peeking one eye at Chara while the other was focused on her lightning coated tail picking the dark lock.

 **"Pfft. This** **worn out soul of his?"** Chara grasped his Locket, and the soul contained within it shook a little from the vileness of his own soul. **"This Frisk is gone. His soul power and DETERMINATION may still be intact, but his consciousness has completely vanished at this point, out of guilt. Idiot's consciousness erased itself! Can you believe that?! HA! He couldn't resist me even if he wanted to!"**

"Well, you're an empty creature, aren't you? You don't even have a logical reason to continue this hell loop anymore. Now you're just a child taking full advantage of a power that's completely dangerous in your hands." Alphys carefully and quietly continued to pick the lock, until finally...the pillar behind her quietly disappeared. She smiled as she rubbed her wrists a little, and stared silently at Chara's back. "So you think that just because his consciousness is gone, abusing the power of his soul is okay?"

 **"Tch. Even if it isn't, who's going to stop me?"** Chara huffed carelessly. Alphys took a few quiet steps...before pouncing on the child from behind. Surprised, Chara threw the lizard off of him easily, tossing her against the ground. **"Wow. That was pathetic even for you. I can't believe you'd be stupid enough to try after all you've been through, especially since you're the only one left. You're the absolute WEAKEST of your gang in terms of overall power. What can _you_ possibly do?"**

"I can still change things for the better. Know why? Because I have this." Alphys smirked as she held up the glowing red soul in her paw. Chara's eye widened when he realized that his Locket is no longer holding the soul. "What's the matter? Didn't see that coming?"

 **"Bah! So what if you managed to steal it from me?! What good will it do you now?!"**

"See, thing is...when you have nothing left to lose, you tend to take some pretty drastic measures." Alphys placed her paws protectively around Frisks Soul. "Frisk...sweetie. It's Alphys. Do you remember me?" She got a glowing pulse as a response, signifying a positive response. "Good. I need you to do something for me."

Chara narrowed his eyes as he slowly reached for his Real Knife. **"Don't ig** **nore me, Alphys. What are you up to?"**

"This new timeline isn't affected by Chara yet, so he can't use a LOAD to instantly teleport there. And just as a soul, you can't make it there yourself, even if you do have the **DETERMINATION** needed." Alphys smirked. "But...I'm willing to bet that if I absorbed your Soul just for a moment, I can access a SAVE point in that timeline. I just need a couple seconds."

Chara was fairly certain that Alphys was just bluffing...until he remembered that Omega Flowey was capable of having multiple SAVE points at once, and able to reach and LOAD them with ease. With Alphys's declaration...he clenched his teeth as well as clutching his Real Knife. **"Alphys...stop this. You wouldn't _dare!_ "**

"Wrong. Daring is all I can do now. I'm not your company anymore. Have fun wandering the rest of the way on your own!" Alphys retorted. She then clasped her paws around Frisk's soul a bit tightly but not enough to harm it, and closed her eyes as it began to flow. "We don't have time to get picky, Frisk! Just pick one at random!"

 _ **"ALPHYS!"**_ Chara screamed, his face leaking a black substance as he reached out with his Real Knife in an attempt to stop the doctor and the soul she captured. Unfortunately, his efforts were in vain. Genocide Alphys and Frisk's soul have both instantly teleported to one of the SAVE points of the new timeline. Since his influence hasn't been spread there yet, he was still stuck with going the long way. This...infuriated him to no end. **"** **Grrr...Alphys...this won't change anything. No matter what happens, I'll still win, like always. So go on and revel in your false hope. Because sooner or later, I'm going to make it there sooner or later."** He said slowly as he closed his Locket back up and kept walking, now noticeably less bored and more thoroughly ticked that he'd been fooled. He'd rectify that soon enough. But what she said and did will now haunt him for the rest of his journey. He was fully aware that she was still smart enough to wait for her opportunity to trick him, and he fell for it. He got incredibly cocky...or maybe it's something else?

 _I suppose you're not as pure evil as you make yourself out to be..._

 **(Alphys Lab)**

The Royal Scientist had been watching her cameras for quite a while. And needless to say, when the human first stepped out of the Ruins, she's been in quite a marathon of surprises.

The Human first exiting the Ruins was a possible expectation she had. However, Queen Toriel having the child in her arms was not among those expectations. That was a variable she never taken account for, because _no one_ had any valid idea where the Queen could have disappeared to. But there she was, exiting the Ruins with the child in tow, and following Sans. She certainly didn't expect for them to know each other. What she expected even **_less_** , was that flower also tagging along for the journey.

She was certain that without a soul, the flower wouldn't be able to feel any positive emotions. But...the very camera she put before the door to the Ruins saw the flower has taken a genuinely positive face and was genuinely kind to the human, Toriel, and anyone else he came across. She can't help but feel like something is significantly different about that flower, she has no idea.

Every personal confrontation she's had with the flower was inevitably hostile. Maybe...maybe this time would be different? She couldn't be sure. She didn't want to take a chance that this was fake...no. The flower would have turned on them by now if he was faking. He doesn't like being nice for such a long period of time.

Suddenly there was a knock on her door, and she checked her camera. It was Papyrus. Curiously, she opened the door and allowed him to come in. Rather energetically. "AH! HELLO THERE, DOCTOR ALPHYS. WONDERFUL HEAT WE'RE HAVING HERE IN HOTLAND."

"Er...yes, Papyrus. Its always been hot here. Hence the name." Alphys smiled nervously. "Anyway, what do you n-need?"

"OH, OF COURSE!" Papyrus untied the package from his back and handed it to the short doctor. "SANS SAID THAT THIS PACKAGE IS FOR YOU. HE WANTED TO GET IT TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I AM UNAWARE OF WHAT IT CONTAINS, BUT DO NOT WORRY! I DID NOT LOOK INSIDE! LOOKING THROUGH OTHER PEOPLES MAIL IS CONSIDERED RUDE!" He sighed. "HOWEVER, IT ALSO MEANS THAT I CANNOT CLEAN OUT SANS' MAILBOX FULL OF JUNK MAIL. I DON'T THINK HE EVEN KNOWS THAT IT EXISTS."

Alphys at her package in wonder. Sans wanted to send her something through Papyrus? Well, she did see that he was busy. However...she had a feeling that he _knew_ that she was watching him...but that couldn't possibly be. Right?

"AND ANOTHER THING, ALPHYS. I WAS UNAWARE THAT YOU HAD A SIBLING."

...Wait what?

"Papyrus, I don't have a sibling."

"REALLY? I THOUGHT FOR SURE THAT THERE WAS SOMEONE LYING OUTSIDE YOUR LAB THAT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE YOU...COULD IT BE A CLONE...?" Alphys was certain that she would have remembered cloning herself. But now that the thought's entered her mind, she was pressured into going outside and seeing what the bid deal was.

Consider her surprise when she found a yellow figure facedown in the ground, the scales and lab coat looking a LOT like hers, while lying next to a sparkling golden star-like object. She was tempted to come closer to the fallen monster. Unsure of how to continue, she began flipping the monster over. "H-Hey, are you Ok-"

That was her face, with a slash across one of her eyes. Those were her glasses, even if they were slightly cracked. That lab coat was DEFINITELY hers, if only a bit tattered. And the weak, but very much alive red human soul in her paws...

...HUMAN SOUL?!

The monster opened her eyes, and roughly grabbed Alphys's lab coat to bring her closer. "...Listen to me...timelines...in danger...protect...human soul...bring the flower here..." she coughed a little, slight blood coming from her mouth. It was nothing to her though. "Need to save...reality...from Fallen Child's control..."

"What is going on?! What are you saying?!" Alphys shook her head rapidly. Of course she understood the _words_ , but because this monster was exhausted and a bit hysterical, she couldn't put the words together properly in an understandable message. So she could only say one word that would have Alphys understand the seriousness of the situation. She's breaking the rules of time travel in order to make sure they're prepared for the Fallen Child. With this, she pulls her closer and said:

 **"DETERMINATION..."**

The present Alphys was left shocked, while Genocide Alphys lost consciousness...

And Papyrus was heavily confused. "SO...IS SHE A CLONE?"

* * *

 **And here we have Genocide Alphys, taking fate into her own hands and going to the timeline still unaffected by Chara, as wll as delaying his progress. The consequences for one-upping him might be severe...but what does she have to lose, right?**

 **This arc has ended. I honestly thought it went well. Toriel has been pushed into accepting that she has just as much to blame for the kingdom's condition as Asgore. And Undyne has been befriended, so that's also a major plus. Asriel searches for the answer to dealing with Chara. He can't let him kill everything again, but he doesn't want him to die, either. His heart and Frisk's silent insistence on forgiveness tells him to spare him, but Sans' and Flowey's experience is forcing him to accept that it won't be that easy. There's only one way he can find the answer at a quicker pace...he needs to get more daring.**

 **The Next Arc is at hand: Fate Changing Gambles.**

 **...I really wish I was better at arc names...Asriel and Asgore rubbed off on me...oh well.**

 **See ya soon!~**


	11. Gamble With A Soul

**Sans: heh. new arc starts off as the longest chapter so far.**

 **Toriel: Me and Undyne are mostly absent for this one.**

 **Me: I know, and I'm not happy about it. But it had to be done so I can focus on other stuff. Readers...this arc has heavy emphasis on risk-taking, starting with possibly the most risky move on the very first chapter of the arc from one of our heroes. Including myself taking risks for the details of this chapter. I know it isn't perfect, and it might be seriously out of place in some areas. In other words, I've reached the point where I'm kinda deviating from canon.**

 **This arc has _Fate-Changing_ in it for a reason, ya know~**

 **...don't be too mad at me.**

 **Let's begin!**

* * *

 _Okay Alphys, calm down. Y-You need to calm your mind and slow down your r-rapid breathing so you can think p-rocess the s-situation properly._ She thought to herself as she slowed her breathing, which also calmed her heart down just enough for her to think properly. She adjusted her glasses as well, clearing her vision a bit. Hyperventilating kinda messes with one's vision. A lot. _Let's go over the details. Um...there's a s-tranger lying in your b-bed, someone who looks almost exactly like you, except it looks like she's seen way...way...WAY better days. And let's not forget she had a human soul in her hands! Of course, it looks very fragile. Plus...she knows..._ She shook a little. _S-she knows about **DETERMINATION**...n-no one else should no about that besides Asgore and myself. C-could...she really be...?_

Alphys wasn't able to completely dissuade the possibility of time travel, she just found it to be a rather difficult concept, even for her. However, since she was absolutely sure that she didn't clone herself years ago and that copy of herself just happens to come here now, she had to take time travel into account. Either that or this woman was a _very_ good cosplayer.

...Nah. Who would want to cosplay as her? Time travel scenario it is, then. Sci-Fi anime experience is giving her the feeling that it's the most likely scenario to be true here. But if that's true...

 _Why is she so hurt? By the look of her eyes and body, It's safe to say that serious mental, physical, and emotional damage are present. What did that to her? Why does she have a human soul? And...why is she here in the first place...?_

For a couple moments, she contemplated delivering the human soul to Asgore, since it's the last one they need to break the barrier. But that wasn't going to happen, not with the way her other self was caressing it carefully. She was petting the soul, occasionally cooing at it, giving it encouraging words, and overall trying to keep it's spirits up. Because by the looks of it, neither of them had much spirit left in them. Taking the soul from her now would be quite a stupid thing to do given her seriously protective attitude towards it made her a bit too scared to get near her while she's holding it.

Also, she's been staring at Papyrus for a very long time, as if she hasn't seen him in years, which also made her a bit curious as to why that might be. Of course Papyrus being Papyrus, he didn't completely understand the nature of the stare, and mistook it for admiration. Thus...

"OTHER ALPHYS. I CANNOT HELP BUT NOTICE THAT YOU ARE STARING AT ME RATHER STRANGELY FOR THE LONGEST TIME...YOU MUST REALLY ADMIRE MY PRESENCE!" Papyrus stood up and posed dramatically, hand in his chest and a bit of a sparkle next to his head. "NOT SURPRISING, SINCE YOU ARE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEH HEY HEH!"

Genocide Alphys laughed aloud. "Hahaha! That's definitely it, Papyrus. Your greatness knows no bounds."

"THAT'S WHAT I KEEP TELLING EVERYONE! NYEH HEH!"

She laughed again, while carefully caressing Genocide Frisks soul. She was appealing to Papyrus's apparent egostical nature for a reason, the most obvious reason. She missed him. Of course she missed and mourned all of her fallen friends. But Undyne, Mettaton and Papyrus stuck out the most. Undyne because...well that's obvious. Mettaton because he seemed genuinely grateful that she helped his dreams come true, and she really needed that kind of reassurance that she wasn't complete trash. And Papyrus...she just couldn't believe that someone would callously kill such a sweet-natured, innocent, caring guy like him, even if he did flaunt his confidence a lot. He never harmed anyone, not on purpose. He didn't deserve what happened to him. Even when he was struck down, he was still flashing a genuine, confident smile that spoke of no regrets.

He must have been the only monster in her timeline to do so. As for herself...Alphys was regret incarnate. His shining personality is bringing a sincere smile to her face, even if it's a small one. Genocide Frisk's soul pulsed calmly, or as an get with its current condition. She didn't take too much focus off of it either. She made sure it stayed extra close to her. That it never left her hold. Almost as if...it's survival depended on her.

Alphys gulped silently as she decided her next course of action. She rode her escalator up the second floor and inched her way closer to the duo. She rose her finger upward. "I-I...uh...excuse e...um...m-me...?" Genocide Alphys resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew she used to be a stuttering nervous wreck. But seeing it in action...huh. Actually it seems rather cute. But neither of them have time for cuteness right now. She was done recovering and she didn't have a lot of time. So she was going to use it well.

"Papyrus, be a dear and leave me and myself to some privacy? This is gonna be a one-on-one chat. Genocide Alphys asked nicely.

Papyrus looked between the two, rubbing his bony chin curiously. She felt bad for the guh, he must be incredibly confused right now. "THE GREAT PAPYRUS...IS VERY CONFUSED RIGHT NOW." Called it. "BUT IF YOU TWO WISH FOR A PRIVATE CONVERSATION, I SHALL NOT INTERFERE! THE GREAT PAPYRUS...SHALL BE DOWNSTAIRS." He then walked over to the other escalator and rode it down to the first floor, leaving the two scientists on the second floor.

They stared at one another for a moment. One was adjusting her glasses while the other was still protectively holding onto Genocide Frisk's soul. The Present Alphys couldn't help but wonder just how different this other self was from her?

"Well...this is pretty damn awkward, if you ask me."

Oh very much different. Her voice was hardened, rough, and she didn't stutter once. She wished she would be the last one. Talking would just be a bit easier.

"Uh...y-yeah! Awkward! Hehehehehe! Hehehe...heh..." Present Alphys attempted to laugh it off...it only seemed to increase the level of awkwardness in the air. She rubbed her neck sheepishly. "I'm n-not helping this situation, am I?"

"Not much, no." And she was so straightforward, too. She kinda wished she was like that. Genocide Alphys walked up to her with a sigh. "Look Alphys, I know you've seen enough sci-fi anime to know where this is going. Time-Travel...is some pretty complicated shit. Even for us scientists. So if you don't mind, I need you to call Sans."

Alphys blinked owlishly. "What? Why?"

"He needs to get here right now. As in, yesterday right now. I have a lot of stuff to say, and it's imperative that he's here to hear it, as well as you. Call him, now."

Alphys was rather surprised by the no-nonsense tone she took all of a sudden. And the glare in her eyes. The scar down one of them only makes it that much more intimidating. So without further questions, Alphys pulled out her phone and went straight to Sans' contact.

Ringing...

 _"heya, alphys. didn't expect to get a call from you of all people."_

"L-listen to me, Sans. I need you to come to my lab. It's really important."

 _"on what scale of importance? sansportance?"_

"Sans...that doesn't even make sense."

 _"pfft. you heavily underestimate the sansation that is me and puns dedicated to my name."_

"Oh my God. Really?" Genocide Alphys walked up to snatch the phone from her counterpart's hand, and brought it up to her own head. "Sans, we need to talk."

There was silence on the other side of the line. She took a good guess that he instantly figured out that this wasn't the same Alphys he was just talking to. Before, she didn't know that he was able to pay really close attention to detail, but now it makes sense on how and why he was able to do it. She smirked. "What's the matter, Sans? Did I rattle your bones?"

 _"...the tone and attitude changed far too rapidly in a couple seconds. suddenly got rougher, more demanding, with a hint of dark seriousness. that's very much unlike alphys. who are you?"_ Sans suddenly got serious. Good. As much as she wanted to relax, Genocide Alphys didn't want to waste any more time she could be using to their advantage.

"Come over and find out. We have a lot to talk about. And make sure to bring Frisk and Flowey. I know you're a good lier while still remaining truthful, so find a way to break away from Toriel and Undyne and get over here soon."

 _"...alright. give me a sec to grab the kid and the flower."_ Sans finally said, while hanging up. Genocide Alphys nodded as she handed the phone back to Alphys, who fumbled a bit from trying to catch the phone, until she stopped it with both paws and sighed in relief. Genocide Alphys returned to lightly caressing Genocide Frisk's soul as she sat back on the bed. It was now pulsing a bit more rapidly, as in representing a panic at the mention of Sans, and she knew why.

"Shhh...hush, Frisk. It's okay. We're not in the dark timeline anymore. Sans isn't going to harm you." She said gently unto the beating soul. She leaned in and gently... _very gently_...kissed the top of it in such a soft manner that one would call it motherly. "You're going to be alright. I promise you're going to be alright. No one is going to hurt you anymore."

Alphys was having a really deep feeling that this kind of attitude was for a very tragic reason, it would explain her physical state at the very least.

She heard the front door slide open, and the sound of slippers entering through said door was clear. Papyrus turned to see Sans, Frisk, and Flowey moving through said entrance. "SANS. I SEE ALPHYS HAS INVITED YOU, THE HUMAN, AND FLOWEY OVER. WHAT A SPLENDID SURPRISE."

"yeah, sounds great. hey, paps. ya might wanna get going. you missed undyne's cooking lesson, anf she's not happy about it."

Papyrus went jaw-dropped by these news. Literally three seconds later, Papyrus left behind a smoke cloud of himself, and a trail left behind from running so fast. "I COMPLETELY FORGOT OUR LESSON! SHE'LL BE SO DISAPPOINTED IN ME! BUT I SHALL MAKE IT UP TO HER BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! SANS, FLOWEY, HUMAN, I WISH YOU FAREWELL FOR NOW. NYEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!" Papyrus called out while running...and he began running _on air_ in the process!

With his Asriel face, he stared at the retreating skeleton in awe. "Sans...Papyrus is running on air! How is he doing that?!"

"apparently the laws of physics can't tell paps what to do." Sans shrugged. "...heh. my bro is so cool."

Asriel wilted a little...then he sprang back up with sunshine while turning to Frisk. "Frisk! I totally wanna run like that someday! Papyrus is so cool!"

"that's what i'm sayin'."

Frisk admires the immense depth of coolness that is Papyrus as much as Sans and Asriel do. But he tugged on Sans' jacket to remind him that Alphys needed the three of them for something, and he wanted to know what it was. The difficulty of pulling Frisk away from the warm embrace of Toriel was very high. Sans regained his focus in agreement while looking up to the second floor.

"alright alphys, we're here. now what the heck is-" Alphys leaned over the railing to see them, as well as Genocide Alphys, who seem to have a rsther serious look on her face that is very unlike the Alphys he was used to. "...going...on...here...?" Frisk gasped a little, which was the only way to tell that he was surprised by this development.

Flowey had some choice words for it.

 _"...okay. Okay. O-k-k-k-k-k-k...WHAT THE HELL?! Two Alphys's?! Since when!? I know most of the timelines like the back of my petal, Asriel. This has NEVER happened before! The contrast scale has gone way up!"_

Sans, on the other hand, was focused on one serious detail that caught his attention even more than the second Alphys. The human soul that was currently floating above her paws, and by her posture and eyes, she seemed awfully protective of it. As if it were her last hope. And judging by the state of her attire, he wouldn't put that conclusion as ridiculous.

"...where did you get that?"

"Nice to see you too, Sans." She said with a small smile. "We have quite a lot to talk about. About...Chara."

"...give me a moment." The smaller skeleton rose up one bony finger to signify telling them to wait a little bit as he warped out of the room. A couple seconds later, he reappeared with a full bottle of ketchup in his hand. he popped it open. "i'm _reeeaaallly_ gonna need this."

'Flowey' was staring at Alphys, and vice versa, for quite a while. Everything else in the room seemed to just...vanish when they officially made full eye contact. Asriel made sure he wasn't using his actual face, but even so, it just left him...in a loss for words when he's actually come face to face with this woman. This Royal Scientist, who was unintentionally and inadvertedly responsible for Flowey's existence and Asriel's inner torment. She brought him back in the worst possible way, and it had heavy consequences for everyone around her. But completely blaming her for his misery would be unfair. He had some responsibility for losing sight of his true identity in the first place. He made sure that never happened again.

Yet still...looking her in the eye was difficult to do. Especially since Flowey seemed to be cursing the woman in his head. How lucky was he that he was able to keep that inside, otherwise this would have been so much worse.

Alphys was feeling incredibly awkward, more than anyone in the room. Mostly because she was the one who had absolutely no idea what's going on. And she was too afraid to ask. The tension was crushing her. She so desparately wanted to just become invisible and quietly escape their attention, but she was also afriad even the slightest movement would trigger a negative reaction.

"Alphys. You don't necessarily have to be here. I'm all that's needed to explain to Sans and Frisk what's going on. This isn't something you need to know if you can't handle it." Genocide Alphys was being completely straight with her present self, and it made her flinch slightly. The sight of both her and Flowey, the human soul, and Sans looking so serious really out her nerves on edge.

"I...I...think I should step out. It doesn't sound like you'd want me to be a part of this conversation." She said nervously as she stepped back and out her door. "I'm...going to take a walk." She closed the doors behind her, leaving the others behind in her lab.

"Your choice." She shrugged as she turned towards Sans. "Now I'm gonna break this down short and simple. I know despite what you display most of the time, you actually pay quite a lot of attention."

Sans shrugged. "lay it on us."

She clasped her paws, narrowing her eyes. "I'm going to be straight with you, right from the start. Chara is on his way."

"What?!" 'Flowey' gasped in disbelief. He was on the move, already?!

"He's already succeeded in completely tainting and annihilating every timeline he came across. I am from the latest one he erased. And for the sake of satiation of his boredom, he kept me alive. Unlucky for him, I used my brain and managed to get away from him. But I couldn't have done it without this." She held out Genocide Frisk's soul, for the trio to see.

They all jumped when the current Frisk's soul pulsed in sync with his counterparts soul, beating and flowing softly with one another. At the same pace, same frequency, and same shade of red. And it's LV was still at one, despite just coming from a Genocide Run. The main difference...it's not sentient. The soul power, the **DETERMINATION**...but no consciousness. Frisk was a bit surprised by this, while Sans was staring at the soul in question.

"so...this is the soul that chara used to control the timelines he leap-frogs across, and commit his genocide runs..." he murmured quietly. "it still feels exactly like frisk...except it's like he's on the verge of falling apart. what the hell happened to the guy?"

"Chara persuaded him into commiting the Genocide runs, as well as Post-Genocide Pacifist runs. He allowed Frisk to work so hard for Pacifist...then he took it all away the moment he had the chance." Asriel's mind flashed back to the time when Sans showed him the photo with Frisk's loved ones being crossed out in red, while Chara's face replaced Frisk's. "And he did it again. Over and over...and over and over...until at last...he couldn't take the guilt anymore. He...he erased his own consciousness. This soul, and the **DETERMINATION** it holds within it, are all that's left of him. This is all that's left of Genocide Frisk."

"...the kid erased his own consciousness...? that's taking self-blame to the absolute extreme." Sans said, genuinely sorrowful for the child who was technically no more.

Genocide Alphys held the soul closer to herself again. "Chara needs Frisk's soul in order to remain in control the timelines. It's how he was able to completely posses Frisk anytime he wants. Plus, Frisk's soul with the other six souls was enough to break the barrier, so he wouldn't have to sacrifice his own. But ever since Frisk erased his own consciousness, Chara was able to use the soul to an easier degree because it stopped resisting him. Thus, with every dark route after that one...he has gotten stronger. His own soul never shattered, even after his death alongside Prince Asriel. As a human soul, it still persisted. It was just...dormant. His darkness weakened Frisk's will, bit by bit, while still keeping his **DETERMINATION** intact. When he erased his own consciousness, it made room for his old soul to manifest itself in Frisk's body, while he kept Frisk's soul inside his Locket so that he'll always have access to his **DETERMINATION.** "

Sans' eyes hollowed. "...alph. this better not be what i think it means."

"Chara had Genocide Frisk's body, and **Determination** from his soul, which was his only method to pass onto and taint and erase other time lines. With his old soul returning, he is no longer a ghost. He has a new mortal body now, amd his own soul to keep it together, since Genocide Frisk's soul is no longer inhabiting it. But since I managed to snatch the soul from him, he's currently stuck in the Void. But it can't hold him back forever. The only reason he can't just LOAD to any of the SAVE points in this timeline because your Frisk currently has the highest **Determination**. But even if that's the case, he'll find a way to get to this timeline soon enough, I'm sure." Genocide Alphys looked up to them, a grim look on her face.

Sans and 'Flowey' paused while they processed this information more than Frisk, who was still focused on his counterpart soul floating in the palm of Genocide Alphy's hand. Sans then sighed while chugging his ketchup for a few moments. "welp. that sounds like all sorts of bad. he'll continue wrecking havoc and ruining the lives of monsters and humans alike just because the consequences can't reach him, and he has the power to back up his little illusion of this situation."

"Precisely. Since no one is strong enough to reign him in, he's taken the belief that he is above the consequences sime time was literally in the palm of his hands. In a lot of senses, despite being only a child, he's the most powerful human in history. But since I took Genocide Frisk's soul away, we might have a chance to prepare for his arrival. And with enough preparation, and a hell of a lotta luck, we might be able to defeat him once and for all."

Sans rubbed his bony chin as he thought over what Genocide Alphys said. He hated getting his hopes up at this point, because it always resulted in the same thing...right back where they started, for better or worse. "alphys. please tell me you have a plan. because ours has just been rendered moot."

"I knew you'd ask me that." Genocide Alphys folded her arms. "I have an idea that is quite a big gamble. As a scientist, I can never say that there's a one-hundred percent chance that this idea will pull through. I'd say there's at least a forty-nine to fifty-one percent chance that this won't end badly."

"that's still way above zero. what do you have in mind?"

She grabbed his bony arm and pulled him along away from Frisk and 'Flowey' for a moment. She then whispered something to him in such a quiet and controlled manner. Though Sans tried to hide it, his grin was getting a bit brighter by the moment. Until she finally pulled away, and he was chuckling a little bit.

"whooo...gee, alphys. this is the mad scientist within you, huh? that does sound like a rather dangerous idea with possibly disasterous results, or a golden miracle that requires a bit more effort to pull off. i don't think i would have come up with such an idea like yours."

"Yeah well, I am kind of a genius." She huffed. They both walked back over to 'Flowey' and Frisk, with their eyes filled with expectation, yet at the same time, hesitation. "Flowey. Or should I call you Asriel?"

The flower gasped as his face appeared in the center. "You know?!"

"Kid, of course I know. I may be a different Alphys, but I'm still Alphys."

"Oh. Yeah. Hehehe...a-anyway...what do you need from me?" He was lightly surprised when she handed Genocide Frisk's soul out to him, allowing him to stare at it in shock for a little while. Then he lifted his head to meet her eyes. "Er...what's going on?"

"The first stage. Genocide Frisk's soul. We need you to absorb it."

"WHAT?!" He frantically backed up, hopping out of his pot and onto the ground. "You seriously want me to absorb this Frisk's soul?! I can't do that!"

 _"What the hell are you talking about?! Of course you can! It's literally right in front of you! More power for us, right? I'm sure you wanna do more than just sit on the sidelines at this point!"_ Flowey protested, but Asriel mentally blocked him out.

"Asriel, you _have_ to. Of all the people he feels most sorrowful for being forced to kill...you're on top of that list." She mentioned sullenly. "Every encounter he made with you was filled with nothing but misery, because you may not remember what he did to you, but he does, and it tormented him. He betrayed your trust and your kindness against his will over and over, because he gave into Chara's influence at an earlier time...and the cost was devastating. Frisk erased his consciousness because the guilt was tearing him apart on such a spiritual level that even Chara mentioned that it was pathetic and sad to watch. You believed in him, and he let you down. He was never able to recover from that, and Chara took advantage of that to get what he wanted."

Asriel was in a state of mental conflict. Absorbing the soul of a Frisk from another timeline...could he really do that? Is it really something he had to do? He also had to remember that this Frisk's timeline was wiped out completely, which means that he and Alphys couldn't go back there even if they had the methods try and do so. They had nothing to go back to, everything they have known in their timeline was gone. So she was willing do whatever it takes...but not without cooperation. Asriel...was extremely hesitant. Could he really...?

"I can take a shot at what you're thinking, Asriel." Genocide Alphys folded her arms. "But we're running dreadfully low on options. I'm well aware due to heavy research that you can't maintain your actual form without a soul. Without a soul, you'll remain a flower. But, since you've managed to retain your original consciousness even as a flower, this should be able to work. Even if it isn't from this timeline...you just need one. Once again...this is a gamble, one I'm willing to take. But...I can't make you do it. You need to decide for yourself."

Asriel shifted uncomfortably as he looked down at his flower body for a moment. How he hated being a flower, yet he can't help but feel like this was his eternal punishment. However...he can't help out much if he's merely a flower. If he truly wants to help Frisk gain the final ending...he won't be able to do it as a flower. He needed to do more...he _wanted_ to do more. And his chance presented itself. He must not waste his chance to gain the power to do the right thing.

He didn't want Frisk to do this alone anymore.

"...I have to take the chance." Asriel said with a new resolve. "...let me have it...".A vine stretched out from the ground and wrapped around the soul _**very**_ carefully. He then brought it up to his face and smiled tentatively. "This...this isn't going to hurt. You're going to be fine..." He said softly the the soul, wanting to soothe it's understandable uneasiness. He then closed his eyes and focused...soon enough, the soul began to fade, until the energy began flowing into the vine, and into the main stem of the flower...

 **(Asriel's Mindscape)**

The child was standing right in front of the human soul before him, the soul that used to belong to a different Frisk in a different timeline. He had already accepted it into his body, now he had to accept it into his mind and heart. Flowey sprouted up beside him, staring at the soul blankly. Asriel turned towards him in confusion. "I thought you might try to take it for yourself, or something."

"As tempting as that is, kid...I'm not foolish enough to try to pick a fight with someone who controls this realm. Like I said, you could completely erase me from your mind, yet you haven't done so. Despite how dangerous I am." He rolled his eyes. "What an idiot."

Asriel shrugged off his counterpart's insult as he went to grab the soul and absorb it fully. However...his eyes widened as everything suddenly went dark. Flowey actually flinched from how quick it was. "W-What the hell?! What did you do?!"

"All I did was touch it! I swear!" Asriel said frantically. "I don't know what's g-"

 _"Y... you... really hate me that much?"_ Asriel turned around rapidly, noticing that they were now in the Ruins. Or at least a mental projection of it. He followed the voice of his mother through the echoing halls. He and Flowey eventually reached the end of the trail...and came across the sight of Toriel on her knees, clutching her slide due to a vicious slash mark. A slash was also noticeable across her face. She was smiling...but it was bitter and cold. _"Now I see who I was protecting by keeping you there. Not you... But them! Ha... ha..."_ She then closed her eyes...and Asriel watched in horror as she slowly faded into dust, followed by the sight and sound of her Boss Monster soul shattering into pieces...

"M...M... _ **MOMMY**!" _ Asriel practically screeched at the sight, tears threatening to escape his eyes. He then turned towards the one responsible. Frisk...? No. I...It can't! He wouldn't! Asriel ran up and tried to grab his shoulders. "FRISK! WHY WOULD YOU-" He was surprised once again as his attempts to grab him failed. Instead, he phased right through him, falling on the ground. Frisk didn't seem to notice, as he exited the door blocking his way out of the Ruins. Asriel's eyes were wide as he held up his paws, trying to figure out what happened.

"This isn't real, you idiot. This must be a memory." Flowey pointed out to him, rolling his eyes at the reaction. "You can't alter anything here, because it already happened. And by what I'm seeing, it's definitely the start of a Genoicde Run."

"G...Genocide Run..." Asriel repeated quietly, staring at the ground. The scenery shifted once again, without warning.

Asriel and Flowey were now in Snowdin, and were once again seeing Frisk...who was already covered in a lot of dust, leaving no room for speculation. The boy was now standing in front of Papyrus. He had opened up his arms in friendship and compassion, in hopes that the human would change his ways. He was rewarded with a swift slash from the toy knife, and his head was no longer a part of his body. His body became dust first, but his head remained a little while longer...

 _"W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED... BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER! EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE..."_ Even when he was killed, even when fading to dust...Papyrus still had that bright, confident smile on his face, a face of no regret. This...he didn't deserve this. Nonetheless, Frisk walked away without a word. But for a split moment, he saw his hand tremble.

Asriel stared in disbelief. "Papyrus...but...but why...? He didn't even try to fight him...he didn't do anything wrong...why-" His eyes widened again as he sees Sans all of a sudden. The short skeleton walked up to the pile of dust that used to be his brother, and the scarf that was left behind. He was still grinning widely, but by the cyan flame flowing in his eye, Asriel could tell he was intensely angered and despaired by such a sight. Before he could try to reach out to him, the scenery shifted once again, and now they were in Waterfall.

"I'm guessing this one is Fish-Face?" Flowey said blankly, as he turned towards a bridge where Undyne...Undyne the Undying, stood in Frisk's way...and has been defeated. "Yep. Bruised and scratched and bleeding...but still victorious."

 _"Damn it... So even THAT power... It wasn't enough...?_ _Heh..._ _Heheheh..._ _If you..._ _If you think I'm gonna give up hope, you're wrong. Cause I've... Got my friends behind me."_ Asriel nearly paled at the sight because Undyne was now beginning to melt. Her **DETERMINATION** refused to let her die...but her body can't take it. " _Alphys told me that she would watch me fight you..._ _And if anything went wrong, she would... evacuate everyone._ _By now she's called ASGORE and told him to absorb the 6 human SOULs._ _And with that power..._ " He watched as she shined her amazing, sharp-toothed smile that she struggled to keep together, even at her end. _"_ _This world will live on...!"_ After this, she too turned to dust...

"I have to admit, she was really, _really_ tough. Fighting her is no slouch in that form. But it proved to be her undoing in the very end." Flowey giggled a little, causing Asriel to flare intensely at him. He then turned towards the dust that used to be Undyne. She...died a true hero. Now Asriel understands why Genocide Alphys has no problem with dying for a better future. The light in her life has been extinguished...

The scenery shifts again...

Asriel looked around to see what was going on now. They were now in Hotlands. More specifically near the CORE, or right above it. From their distance, Asriel and Flowey were able to get a glimpse of Mettaton Neo standing directly in Frisk's path. He had been defeated in one hit. As powerful as he possibly was...his defense lacked horribly, which lead to his demise. He knew he wouldn't win either way, but it doesn't hurt to try. They also noticed that there was no sign of Alphys.

 _"GH... GUESS YOU DON'T WANT TO JOIN MY FAN CLUB...?"_

Narcissistic to the end, Mettaton exploded, his pieces scattering all over the room. To a heavily disturbing degree, Frisk was still seemingly in bothered by the destruction he left in his wake. Asriel was now just staring at the ground, silently wishing for this to end. He didn't know how much he could take, watching Frisl kill off all of his loved ones...

"Hah! I knew the kid had it in them, even if it's a different timeline!" Flowey cackled. "After all, it's kill or be killed!"

"Flowey...can you ju-"

They shifted again. They then saw Frisk and Flowey moving alongside one another, since most of the Underground is now mostly empty. Flowey had talked to him about his time as a flower, the good he tried to do, the evil acts he committed, the emptiness he felt when he did literally everything he could, then his encounter with him afterwards. Asriel watched them both with anticipation, while Flowey raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. I don't remember this part. Wonder what's going on...?" He heard his memory self talk...

 _"Creatures like us... Would't hesitate to KILL each other if we got in each other's way. So that's... So... that's..."_ The flower's smile faltered, as he began to sweat and shake in fear. "Why... _... ha... Ha... ... what's this... feeling? Why am I... Shaking? ... Hey...Chara... No hard feelings about back then, right? ... H-Hey, what are you doing!? B... back off!"_

Asriel noticed it before Flowey did. Frisk's face was now unrecognizable. He had been sensing it happening while watching him carefully. With every kill, he was losing more of himself. He was becoming more like Chara, and changing to suit his image, too. That face...it wasn't Frisk's anymore.

It's almost like...he was being possessed.

Flowey's eyes narrowed. "Something isn't right...why am I shaking...? Wait...he's not...?" Flowey doesn't remember this part ever happening. Why didn't he remember this?

 _"I... I've changed my mind about all this. This isn't a good idea a_ _nymore. Y-you should go back, Chara. This place is fine the way it is! ... S-s-stop making that creepy face! This isn't funny! You've got a SICK sense of humor!"_

"Why am I panicking? Chara isn't really thinking of turning on me...right?" Flowey said nervously. "N-Not after all we've been through together..."

The world shifted again, and Asriel wondered what it could be this time.

 _"... ... ... so... guess that's it, huh?"_ Sans was on his knees as he was grasping his chest, which was leaking a red substance. Asriel couldn't tell if it was blood or ketchup. "... _just... don't say i didn't warn ya."_ Sans got up slowly wearing his grin the entire time. But Asriel knew better just by his eyes. Sans has realized his failure and how much he hated himself for it, but he refused to let Chara see that despair on his face _"welp. i'm going to grillby's."_ He then began slinking away, out of Chara's path, with a heavy heart of acceptance to what would happen next. But what he said next definitely made Asriel want to cry. _"papyrus, do you want anything...?"_

That line wasn't just calling out to his deceased brother. He was well aware of what would happen if Chara got past him. But he's accepted his loss, and that the situation was no longer within his control. Asriel clenched his fists. Flowey huffed.

"He took out Smiley Trashbag. That isn't so bad, honestly." He said carelessly, even though his opposite was close to tears. The world shifted again, and now they we're in Asgore's garden...and he saw himself desperately pleading with the king to help him. "What...? Why am I asking for help from that useless hairball? What could I-"

 _"Curious. I've never seen a plant… Cry before..."_ Asriel sense of dread crawled on his back, not even turning around as Chara walked past him and Flowey, and up to Asgore. The Real Knife glowing a crimson red in his grasp as he stared emotionlessly at his foster father. To Asriel's realization and horror, Asgore didn't recognize his resurrected son. He looked more like another monster, than a human. _…huh? You must be the one that flower just warned me about. Howdy! … Erm… What kind of monster are you…? Sorry, I cannot tell._ _Well, we can always-"_ Chara had already raised his blade. Unfortunately for Asgore, he was unaware of how much danger he was in. _"Now now. There's no need to fight. Why not settle this… Over a nice cup of tea?"_

The slash answered his question for him. He gasped as he fell to his knees and grasped the wound on his chest. _"Why...you..."_ Then Flowey pierced through his chest with a spiky vine, and the King soon faded into dust, as well as his Boss Monster soul being destroyed.

At this point, Asriel was becoming more and more dreadful to these memories. This one was just making it that much worse. Memory Flowey then popped up in front of Chara, in a desperate, final panic.

 _"See? I never betrayed you!_ _It was all a trick, see?_ _I was waiting to kill him for you!_ _After all, it's me your best friend!"_ The other Flowey switched to his Asriel face, which only seemed to make this look that much more grievous. " _I'm helpful, I can be useful to you I promise I won't get in your way I can help...I can...I can..._ " The face was now leaking tears, crying as he was begging for his life from the one person he thought was most precious to him, now going for a mortal strike. _"_ _P-Please...don't kill me..."_ For a moment, just a _brief_ moment, Chara hesitated. It was very clear on his face. Unfortunately, the look changed, it's a kind of face one makes when they realize they have come too far just to stop now.

The sound disappeared for Asriel. He could only look on in a desensitized state of disbelief as Chara slashed at Memory Flowey, ruthlessly cutting him apart piece by piece. Whether it was out of anger that Flowey stole his kill, or that a mere flower dared to impersonate his brother, or just because he could...no one could tell. The world then shifted again, and Asriel could feel his heart break.

Genocide Frisk. Covered in dust with the bloody knife on his side, was constantly leaking tears from his eyes and sobbing uncontrollably. The emotional damage of what he had been forced to do was overwhelming, and it crushed his once bright and sunny spirit. Asriel hoped he'd never see Frisk in that kind of state. But after all that's happened...well...he couldn't blame him for his devastated reaction.

 ** _"I don't get the reason you're crying, Frisk."_** Chara stood behind him, kneeling in a condescending light, leisurely twirling around his Locket, which contained Genocide Frisk's soul. _**"This is what you signed up for because you couldn't handle the guilt the first time. Get used to it, we're partners now. You've already made your choice long ago."**_ The sobbing from Genocide Frisk increased in volume suddenly due to this statement. They faded away as Chara began a RESET.

Then the memory ends.

Flowey's eyes twitched. "That...that...that..." Then out of nowhere, his demonic face appeared, and he exploded. _**"THAT DIRTY DOUBLE-CROSSING TRAITOROUS BASTARD!**_ After all the grief and hardship I went through for him, I get repaid by being cut to pieces?! No wonder I couldn't remember anything past Hotlands! He wiped me out! I'm gonna kill him. **I'm going to kill that double-crosser dead!** Even if he LOADS OR RESETS, I'll still do it every single time he reappears. I'm gonna use my vines to rip out his-"

"Actually seeing it...it's so much worse than what Sans told me..." Flowey stopped his rant to look at Asriel. His eyes were overshadowed by his ears as his head hangs slightly, and a small, yet incredibly pained sigh escaped his muzzle, as he looked back at the flower with a small, saddened smile. "You know...I don't even feel angry. Because really...what should I expect? I turned on him in order to prevent another war, a decision I no longer regret. But it's clear to me now that Chara definitely didn't appreciate my betrayal, since I was the first person he truly trusted. Look at what it's turned him into."

Flowey lowered his petals a bit.

"I had the chance to shut down that plan sooner. I hesitated because I didn't want to disappoint my brother. I could have firmly denied that idea and that might have been the end of it. But I didn't. As a result, the monsters fell into despair, my parents were divorced and riddled with guilt, my brother has become a time-warpi g megalomaniac...and Frisk was unfortunate enough to get involved in the aftereffects. I...I have to come to terms with the fact that much of this is my fault as well, not just Chara's. I need to take responsibility for it all and help mend the damage...and I can't do that if I remain a flower."

Genocide Frisk's soul appeared before him. Asriel stood before it, holding his paw out. "As amazing as Frisk is...he can't do things on his own, sometimes. He won't fight back even if it kills him...a lot. He'll never raise a hostile hand towards anybody if he can help it. Despite all that, despite what I've done...Frisk reminded me of who I am...he saved me. And I'll repay the favor as much as I possibly can." He grabbed the human soul of another timeline. Even without a consciousness, even if it was from another timeline, it accepted Asriel and allowed itself to be absorbed by him. There was a gliding light that made Flowey cover his eyes, as Asriel was slowly engulfed by it.

 _Genocide Frisk...you were in so much pain and felt so much guilt. And because of that, you erased your consciousness so that it would end. And your soul made it to this timeline thanks to Alphys. You...wanted me to see what I saw...didn't you? Heh...even if what you showed me made me really sad...it reminded me of what I told my Frisk. Not everything in the world can be resolved by just being nice. I...I don't want the present Frisk to suffer the same fate. I care about Frisk. I want to be able to help him more. I want to be able to protect him like everyone else does. S_ _o...don't worry about a thing. I'm going to do whatever I can to make things better. I'll take very good care of your soul. And your sacrifice...I won't let it be in vain._

 _I promise._

 **(Reality)**

Frisk, Sans, and Genocide Alphys were watching the flower with anticipation, to see if the idea would actually work. He's been sitting silent for quite a long time. After a while, Flowey shot up, looking around and sighing. "Smiley Trashbag...you were right. Chara can't be trusted. We searched through Genocide Frisk's memories...it's really bad. Was...was that _really_ what I wanted? Sure, I hate a lot of stuff...but now destroying it all doesn't seem as fun anymore."

"well look at that, the flower's back." Sans eyes slid up slightly. "what happened to asriel?"

"I don't know. I mean I saw him absorb the soul. He shou-" Flowey's eyes widened and be began to gag, facing the ground and coughing profusely. Sans, Frisk, and Genocide Alphys raised their arms halfway and backed up. It was as if the flower had something stuck in it's stem and it was lightly choking him. When enough time passed, his cheeks puffed and he regurgitated a bright red ball light, which floated to the center of the room. He then breathed heavily from the strain facing the ground again. "Huff...gack...that...that was...SO not fun..."

"Huh. I suppose it makes sense. Flowey himself doesn't need a soul to survive. And Asriel is clearly not a fan of being a flower anymore." Genocide Alphys said.

"still...kinda weird to see him barf out a soul." Sans shrugged.

"S...Shut up! S...Smiley T...rashb...ag!"

Frisk pointed towards the ball of light in the room. It began flashing red repeatedly, lighting up the room with it's brilliant glow. Until it stopped flashing and stuck to white, and began taking another form. The form of a small...goat child...it finally landed on the ground, the white flow disappearing. Then the important features began to show.

The white fur, the yellow and green striped sweater, black pants, a red soul pulsing in his chest for a couple moments before disappearing, fully accepting it's new home, as well as empowering it's host. The goat-child stood up fully, and the first one he turned to was Frisk. He adopted a bright smile and open arms.

Asriel has returned.

"Howdy!"

* * *

 **...yep. That happened. I didn't think I'd do it this way...but I'm content for now.**

 **Genocide Alphys has a plan! And stage one is already complete! Asriel is back! And while he was...visibly bothered by Genocide Frisk's memories of the Genocide Route, he realizes if he truly wishes for the best ending...he can't stand on the sidelines anymore. Man, I put a lotta stuff in here. It'll probably get slightly shorter from here...Oh well.**

 **Asriel: Howdy, everyone! I kinda already know the gist of things here. I can't show my face around Mom. Not yet. There...there are still plenty of things I gotta do, first.**

 **Me: *Hugs smol goat* MUST PROTECT THE GOAT CHILD!**

 **Asriel: G-Golly-!**

 **Frisk also hugs the small goat child, protectively.**

 **Asriel: *adorable pout* Not you too, Frisk...**

 **Next Chapter...is up when it's up.**

 **...yeah...**

 **I'll see you later!**


	12. Risky Plans Set In Motion

**Toriel: My child. Why do I get the impression that you're hiding something from me?**

 **Me: Whaaaaat? Pssh! No, I'm not hiding anything, why would I be hiding anything?**

 **Toriel: You're acting rather suspicious lately...I just want to know you're alright.**

 **Me: Yep, fit as a fiddle! Perfectly okay!**

 **Toriel looks at me worriedly, but concedes and moves on to another room. Asriel slowly peeps out a box to make sure she's gone.**

 **Asriel: Golly...this sure is hard. Just hiding from Mom like this.**

 **Me: Just endure it for a while, little buddy. The reunion takes place during a very special event, but we're not quite close, but not far, either. If there was a certain place where the script is tampered with, then the last chapter was kinda it, and it kinds continues here.**

 **Let's see!**

* * *

"Aaaaaaahhhh...*nom!*" Asriel bites into the Cinnamon Bunny in his paws, sitting on a counter while his feet are kicking, as Genocide Alphys was doing a quick checkup to see if his form was stable enough to keep the human soul. Sure enough, at least for the moment, he was completely fine.

"He doesn't seem to have any complications that I can identify right now. But I doubt there will be any problems, soon. With the human soul, he's gain a lot of power, and his body is stable enough to take it." She analyzed, shining a bit of light in his eyes and checking his heartbeat. "Good vitals, everything is functioning properly...The only noticable change I can find...is the increase of his appetite."

"i noticed." Sans said, amused. Ever since Asriel regained his body, he asked if he could just have a 'nibble' of the cinnamon bunnies Frisk carried in storage. Frisk has eaten two so far. Asriel had ten. Even though it's more of a treat than a food, it's still ridiculous.

"I swear, he's grown obsessed with cinnamon flavored anything." Flowey huffed. As annoyed as he was with the goat child, the consolations he got from this operation was that he no longer had to share his body, and that he didn't have to hear his annoying thoughts any longer. Though...now he couldn't even act on too many evil impulses anymore. Seeing Genocide Frisk's horrifying memories of how things go if he DID kill everyone like he tried to persuade Frisk to do in many timelines...and how it ends. Flowey was despicable, but Chara's actions...legitimately terrified him. He was jealous of Asriel. While he was definitely frightened by what he saw...it was also serving as a wake up call as well as a realization. Chara has changed drastically. And _not_ for the better. Asriel has admitted to taking some responsibility for this radical change. Flowey wasn't as willing, but now he didn't have a choice.

Since he and Asriel are not the same person, which the latter heavily enforced, they had two different ways to view things now. Their conscious was different, the perspectives of their memories are different, even their attitudes as a whole wouldn't match up. No one would be able to tell that they used to be one being.

Asriel was currently licking the cinnamon off of his muzzle, patting his belly contently. Having a snack after getting his body back was something he couldn't help. Eating with his own mouth again was something he wished to experience just for fun, before they get back to serious business. A small burp escaped his muzzle, he covered it and blushed a little. "Excuse me..."

"You still think you're _sooo_ cute, dontcha?" Flowey rolled his eyes.

"Ah come on, Flowey! You're kinda cute, when you want to be."

"Nooooooo. No. I'm not cute. Don't even put me in that category."

"Yeah...you're pretty cute." Asriel smiled brightly. Frisk nodded in agreement.

Flowey narrowed his eyes. "Don't you start too, Frisk. I could still kill you."

"i wouldn't recommend tryin'." Sans said casually, leaning back against the wall. "since you and the prince are no longer one being, i won't feel guilty anymore if you misbehave and i decide to play 'weed whacker'." Flowey paled. He just figured out that his one luck ticket of not being obliterated by Sans has been taken away. Sans smirked at the sweating flower's face. "luckily frisk and asriel won't really like that, and they'll be nagging me about it if i do. plus...frisk will probably just LOAD the SAVE point...and we really don't wanna go through this entire _sans and dance_ again."

"...I almost WANT you to oblierate me, after that one." Flowey muttered. He turned to the sight of Frisk kneeling in front of him, head tilted. "Don't think you're safe, kid! I'm still gonna find _some_ way to make your life hell WITHOUT Chara's help! Yeah, I don't need that kid! I can be a big bad plant all by myself! How's _THAT_ sound to you?!" Frisk stared at the flower for a couple moments. Then he smiled and placed a kiss on one of his petals, greatly shocking him and forcing him to hop back. "W-W-What the?! What was that about?!"

"He's just showing genuine affection for you, Flowey." Asriel smiled, snickering a little.

"Genuine affect...gah! I'm not gonna succumb to you softies! You hear me?! I AM A COLD-BLOODED EVIL FLOWER!"

Asriel blinked as he curiously scratched his ear. "Plants don't really have blood in them, though..."

"...You're pushing me, kid. You're REALLY pushing my petals right now."

Sans snickered at their bickering, then turned to Geno Alphys. "okay, so asriel is kinda back to normal. what do we...alphys?"

She wasn't really listening right now. She was currently looking at a paused image of Undyne on one of the cameras. Her eyes had mixed feelings of sadness, longing, relief, nostalgia...and a hint of lust. She sighed deeply as her elbows hit the table while staring at Undyne walking through Snowdin, since fire was living in her house now. She clicked a few times to get a clearer picture of her-

"alphys?"

"Huh? Wha?!" Geno Alphys swiftly turned around, blushing heavily. "I w-wasn't a-admiring Undyne through video camera! I-I'm not a creep!...okay I might just be a _tiny_ bit of creep..."

"hey. i ain't judgin'." Sans chuckled, then regained a bit of focus as he too stared at the image. "you really miss her, huh?"

"...more than one can guess. My life basically ended with hers. I seriously can't go on in a world where Undyne isn't with me. Now neither of us will ever know how the latter felt. There was no way around it." She glared. "But I'm not gonna let that hold me down in this goal, she wouldn't want that. I already lost my Undyne. No way in hell am I gonna let this timeline's Alphys lose hers. It's not an option."

Sans was slightly surprised by how passionate she was about it. Not going through with suicide and actually acting tougher...he's never seen Alphys in that kind of mood. He guessed that with nothing else to lose, she decided to go all out, and hope that it's enough to make a chance.

"...Okay, lemme focus again. The first stage has been completed, which was bring Asriel back. The second...deal with Mettaton. And make sure that this timeline's Alphys doesn't interfere too much with our interactions." She nodded. "At the same time...we need to keep Toriel in the dark about Asriel. Its not the time for that, not yet. So you're gonna have to call in and tell her something that won't cause too much concern."

"okay, i can figure something out."

Geno Alphys grinned. She had already went and upgraded Frisk's phone. Now all she needed to do was call her counterpart back inside. "Frisk, I know she's still lingering out there in the heat. Bring her back inside. I got the perfect distraction for her, Toriel, AND Undyne. So that Frisk, Asriel, and Sans can pass through Hotlands without their interruption."

Frisk nodded as he pressed the button. Asriel and Flowey instantly hid behind one of the consoles to make sure they weren't seen. Considering she had a lot of stuff...it should be easy. Alphys blinked as the door suddenly opened before her, and she nervously looked around.

"Flowey is gone, other me. Nothing to worry about." Geno Alphys said with an evil smirk that Alphys didn't like at all. "Say...can you kindly hand me your phone?"

"Huh? U-Um...okay." She reluctantly took the phone out of her pocket and hsnded it to her Genocide Self. "U-Um...who are you calling?"

"Nobody worth worrying about." Geno Alphys let the phone ring for a couple seconds, as she tapped her foot lightly on the ground. She heard the click, and put a smile on her face as she gesture for Frisk and Sans to hold her back, making her shy counterpart even more nervous. She cleared her throat and spoke: "U-Uh...h-h-hey...Undyne..."

Alphys idea widened. _No no no NO NO! She wouldn't!_

 _"Hey Alphys! I just came around Snowdin after my house burned down again. It's possible that I might be s terrible cook...FUHUHUHUHU! But it was fun nonetheless!"_ Geno Alphys resisted the urge to shudder...just her voice was enough to get...a reaction. But she would keep control. _"Anyway, whaddya want, nerd?"_ She immediately caught how she used 'nerd' very affectionately. Heh.

"I-I'm not doing anything r-right now. And y-you just said that your h-house just burned down. S-So i-if it isn't too much trouble, I would like to ask you something." Geno Alphys almost broke character to laugh at the way her counterpart was trying to struggle out of the grasp of Frisk and Sans. "D-Do you mind if we j-just...I dunno. H-Hang out again at the dump? As in..." She pretended to REALLY hesitate, just to decrease suspicion. "W-We might find s-some more cool stuff there. And t-this time we can think of it as a d-date of some sorts?"

 _Oh my God! Why?!_ Alphys blushed heavily, looking at the ground and trying to figure out a way out of this...she couldn't find anything.

There was silence on the other side of the line, as everyone held their breath. Geno Alphys waited patiently as Undyne paused for the longest time. " _...um...yeah. Yeah! Sure, why not?"_ Geno Alphys smirked in victory, while Present Alphys was in the middle of beaming and blushing like mad. She was beaming because Undyne said yes to a date! And she was blushing like mad because _Undyne said yes to a date! With HER!_ Why the heck would her other self put her through this?!

"G-G-Great. S-See you soon." Geno Alphys smiled as she hung up, and tossed the phone back to Alphys. "Welp, that went better than I thought."

"W-WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" Alphys screeched, catching the phone just barely while sweat dripped down her face. "This is not good! Oh n-no. Not good at all..."

"You'll be _fine_. And besides, the arrangements already been made. Can't do anything about it now." Geno Alphys smirked playfully, patting her shoulder lightly. "Better make yourself look nice. You're going on a date with Undyne!~"

"I-I realize that, thanks to you!" Alphys groaned, shaking her head rapidly. There was no canceling out on this. It'll make Undyne upset if she had suddenly quit on their arrangement. And probably a lot of irritation. And disappointment. Lots of disappointment. She didn't want anymore of that weighing on her conscience right now.

"That's a rather strange way of saying thank you, but I'll take it." Geno Alphys smiled at her, causing her counterpart to groan in annoyance. But then she took a serious face again, and she froze up from how hard the glare was. "Seriously, Alphys. You need to be honest about your feelings. And about a whole lot of other things you haven't yet told anyone about."

It didn't take Alphys long to understand what the second part meant. "Guys. Can I be alone with...myself for a moment." Sans waited until she turned her back, then used a shortcut to bring Asriel and Flowey out, with Frisk holding his hand. Alphys turned to her Geno self with a distant look in her eyes. "You're me. So...you know."

"About the **DETERMINATION** experiments...yes. You can't keep them a secret forever, Alphys. You have to tell someone. And Undyne should be the first."

"A-Are you crazy?! She'll hate me for sure! I c-can't! I just can't!"

"Yes, yes you can." Geno Alphys said calmly. "You need to trust me on this. You waiting so long to come clean has negative implications. I know what they are, and I deeply regret it. You can't wait until it's too late in order to deal with these things, like I did. And now...now I lost everything."

"W-What are you talking about. What do you mean you...lost everything...?"

Geno Alphys sighed, her glasses shining white from the light. "Hell has struck the Underground in my time. Everything...everything is gone. My home...my friends...the kingdom...even...even Undyne. I lost her, Alphys."

Her other self didn't take long to understand that one, either. "...No...No! The Undyne from your time is...what happened?!"

"A little human child with serious hate issues towards existence happened. NO, it's not Frisk. It's another human entirely." She said dreadfully. "I'm not going to sugar coat this because you NEED to know. This human wipes out everything and everyone he comes in contact with. Undyne managed to become a stonewall for him...but eventually he struck her down too. She...she couldn't handle the **DETERMINATION**."

Alphys froze up once more. In fact, it feels like her entire world has stopped for a couple moments as she heard her counterpart point out a major benefactor to her Undyne's death. The very same thing that allowed those Amalgamates to be born was inside Undyne. The very things she couldn't bring herself to bring to the outside world because **DETERMINATION** seriously melted their bodies together in horrific forms...that substance was inside Undyne...?

"No..."

"Undyne is the only non-boss monster who can naturally produce it, even if it's only smaller amounts. But she's still unable to handle it for long."

"No..."

"She used her **DETERMINATION** to transform and become stronger in order to try and defeat the human. But it wasn't enough."

"NO!"

"Even when she melted away and turned to dust, she still died with a smile on her face, thinking that she bought enough time for me and the monsters to evacuate to safety and be able to stop the human ourselves. I'm almost glad she wasn't around to see that she was wrong." Alphys pushed her glasses up as they gleamed white. "She died like a Shounen hero would. I consider that to be the most amazing thing she's ever done...and the most tragic."

She saw the reaction she suspected, as her counterpart was now holding her head and shaking it in denial. "No. No no no! She can't have that inside of her! S-She just...!" Geno Alphys was genuinely surprised to see her begin to hyperventilate. But she had to keep going, or else she'll stop and never say it again.

"I wouldn't lie about this even if I wanted to. Lying about it for so long lead to irreversible consequences in my time. It's too late, FAR too late for me to do anything about it now. My timeline is gone...I'm the only survivor. And now that I'm here, I'm gonna make sure it never happens again." Geno Alphys walked up to her counterpart and pulled her face up to hers, staring straight into her eyes. "I'm not saying it will be easy. Hell, it might be the most difficult task you've ever done. But you have to come clean, soon. I've...I've lost my Undyne without ever telling her how I felt. You shouldn't be making that mistake with yours. My life is now empty. I don't want that happening to you."

Alphys looked up to her nervously, getting her breathing under control as much as she possibly could. She adjusted her glasses. "...U-Um...y-you know...there are s-some time travel animes I've...w-well...we watched that has some sort crazy plot about a character from another time trying to replace their other self. We...won't be having the problem, r-right?"

"Oh please, Alphys. I'm not gonna fall under that category. You can trust me." Geno Alphys smiled. "Listen. You don't have to straight up tell her about the experiments. Just...enjoy the date first. Have a mighty good time before you two get to the serious stuff. You want to lessen the tension, not increase it...unless it's sexual tension, that's completely okay."

"W-What?!" Alphys's heavy blush returned, covering her face.

"Haha! Relax. I'm just messing with you...mostly."

Alphys sighed in relief. She wasn't used to seeing herself so confident and playful, even if it wasn't technically herself. It's a confusing concept. But then she remembered. "W-Wait...! What about Mettaton?! H-He'll be putting Frisk in d-danger!"

Geno Alphys scrunched up slightly. Although losing Mettaton in her time wasn't nearly as heartrending as losing Undyne, it still hurt. Because she knew that despite his self-centered nature, he does genuinely care about her and is grateful to her. He's sometimes just horrible at showing it because of his spotlight-hogging tendencies. She smiled. "Let me deal with Mettaton. I want to enjoy yourself. As for my scar...nothing a bit of makeup can't hide."

Alphys was still incredibly hesitant, twiddling her fingers and staring at her feet. "...But...How will she react to my secret...?"

"If Undyne truly cares about you, she'll understand. It's impossible for her of all people to ever hate you. Remember she's shows a great amount of Shounen hero tendencies, which includes always caring about their loved ones no matter what. Remember you gave her that mindset by introducing her to anime and manga. You'll be fine."

Alphys gulped, still twiddling her fingers. After a while, she nodded somewhat strongly. "Y-You're right. I c-can do this. I'm gonna go on a date with Undyne! And...I'm going to tell her truth. Only after we're almost done, somewhere along those lines. My gosh.." She began jumping around. "I gotta shower, get dressed, arrange my tools...my kit! Of course, I still have my kit ready for this kind of occasion!"

"That's the spirit!" Geno Alphys patted her back and pushed her along.

She waited for a while as Alphys was getting ready for her date. Sans picked a great moment to use a shortcut to teleport back inside. He realized only one of them was there, and she was applying makeup to her scarred eye in order to cover up as best as she could, as well as putting on a better and cleaner lab coat. She hasn't felt much about trying to look like how she used to be, but she'll have to endure it for this timeline's Alphys sake. When she was done, she was close to looking like her counterpart as she could get, and hoped that Mettaton wouldn't notice.

"heya. how'd it go?"

"She's incredibly hesitant, but willing. I had to tell her quite a bit about my timeline in order ro convince her to go through with it. I think she'll do quite well, if she believes in herself to a high enough amount. Everything she does after this in her hands now." Geno Alphys shrugged. She looked up to see that Alphys was coming back down already, and Sans teleported back out. She was all dressed up, cleaned up, and incredibly nervous. But she was ready.

"Alright. I-I'm really gonna do this. I-I'm actually going to go through with this. My gosh...I'm shaking so much..."

Geno Alphys patted her shoulder. "You'll be fine. Now...get going. I'll take care of things here in Hotlands." Alphys nodded as she left the room through the door. She'll use the River Person's transportation to get to Snowdin quickly. When she left, Geno Alohys turned to see Sans returned with Asriel and Frisk.

"i gave tori a call. said that guards will be reinforced around here and that they'll surely recognize her. and i can't keep teleporting around with so many. so frisk is gonna keep her posted to ease her worries." Sans smiled. "plus, the weed is gonna do some contributing as well."

"Not like I have a choice." Flowey rolled his eyes. "Asriel, with that fur on you, and you're trying to walk through Hotlands, you're going to pass out. It's kind of a reason why Toriel can't come either, and Undyne hates the place with a passion. It's why Alphys comes to her and not the other way around. Anyway, Smiley Trashbag bought plenty of Nice Cream and Bisicles, as well as Unisicles to keep your temperature somewhat stable. It's not the best idea, but we're not going for strokes of genius here."

"Since I regained my magic, I feel like I can endure a lot of things. But...I don't want to deal with overheating due to my fur. So I guess this will have to do, thanks Flowey!" Asriel smiled. "Although I'll have to eat them fast, before they melt~"

"Yeah. Whatever." Flowey rolled his eyes as he allowed a vine to wrap around Asriel's arm and he climbed onto it until he stopped on his shoulder. "C'mon. Let's get this heat-fest over with."

"Alright! Let's go Frisk!" Asriel cheered happily. Frisk readily nodded as they both ran out the other side of the lab. Sans followed after them with a casual walk, giving the 'peace' sign to Geno Alphys before the door closed behind them. They had to hope that they could take advantage of time and place bets that no one would recognize Asriel.

With nothing left to do, Geno Alphys sat in a chair calmly while she grabbed a file and began filing the nails on her claws, waiting patiently for something to happen. "Three...Two...One..."

 _ **CRASH!**_

"Aaaaaannnnd there goes the wall." She shrugged as she adjusted her glasses and prepared. She was so gonna undo him in the acting division with this one. The smoke cleared as a spotlight shined onto the hole in the wall, where her long-time sorta friend Mettaton entered through the wall, microphone in hand and beeping excitedly.

...that beeping turned into disppointment when he realized that his guest star wasn't in the room.

"OH MY. IT SEEMS THAT THE HUMAN HAS GONE ON AHEAD WITHOUT HIS CO-STAR! WE CAN'T HAVE THAT, NOW CAN WE?" He turned on his wheel to see Geno Alphys there. Unware that she wasn't his Alphys, he decided to ask her. "DR. ALPHYS. MIGHT YOU POINT ME IN THE DIRECTION OF MY CO-STAR?"

"W-Well...if I'm n-not mistaken...the human probably ran off in the other direction, before I could speak to them. The human is quite s-slippery."

"AH! MARVELOUS! THEY HAVEN'T GOTTEN TOO FAR. THANKS FOR THE INFO." He rolled to the side, lamenting a little on how the schedule needed a bit adjusting. Meanwhile, Geno Alphys smirked as she pulled her glasses down when he left.

"Both parts of Stage Two of my little scheme begin simultaneously. Very good..."

 **(Hotlands)**

Frisk always had a hard time traversing through Hotlands. Though his **DETERMINATION** Kept him going regardless, there was always the risk of overheating, which can also lead to exhaustion on his part. Asriel's case is even worse, due to his fur. And Sans...he doesn't even have skin, so it barely matters. It was unfair to the young duo, to say the least. Flowey...he's been through worse, so he wasn't complaining.

"hey, kid. i know alphys already gave you the okay status...but are you sure you're alright? ya know, with genocide frisk's soul?" Sans asked.

"I think so. I mean, nothing bad has happened to me. It feels like it's made itself at home, with me." Asriel placed a paw on his chest, feeling the soul pulse calmly within him. A calm sigh escaped his muzzle. "Even without a consciousness, I could feel Genocide Frisk's sadness...his despair...his guilt...his self-hatred...I could feel all of those things. He was really, _really_ messed up, Sans. It only calmed down once it entered my body. Compared to Chara housing his soul, he feels safe with me." Asriel blinked. "But...I thought that humans couldn't absorb other human souls."

"huh. then i guess we can't classify him as a normal human anymore, can we?"

That was a rather dangerous conclusion. One that Asriel didn't want to think too deeply about, but it won't be able to leave his mind now. He'll just have to come back to that particular subject when it requires his utmost attention.

Asriel has already seen Frisk pacifism in action, and it feels ridiculous how much he can change someone's mind about attacking him. There was always some sort of out he could take no in order to avoid fighting. The cases with Pyrope involved just turning up the heat around him. Which was a bit agonizing because it was hot enough just being surrounded by heat from the lava. Fortunately for him, Nice Cream was pretty durable, and he managed to eat a couple to cool himself down. The compliments on the wrappers really made him feel special.

Next was a rather...interesting encounter with TsunderPlane. She acted hostile, sure. But Frisk managed to get her guard down by getting closer...just not too close. Brushing up against her wings as non-threateningly as he possibly could. With a few well-placed compliments while still being respectful, he left her a blushing mess, and finally moved out of the way. They managed to make it past, while Asriel was just staring at Frisk in slight confusion.

He really doesn't know how easily he can sway women to take his side. Sans hoped Toriel wouldn't notice this.

"ah...frisk. ya see, i don't really feel up to all these puzzles and stuff. now if pap were here, he'd be having a blast." Sans spoke, shrugging. "but since he isn't, i'm just gonna warp us to the closest vendor. and you're in luck, it's one of mine."

"Oh yeah. I forgot Smiley Trashbag had more jobs to be lazy at." Flowey rolled his eyes. "The best part of his shift is getting off it."

"hey. sitting around doing nothing takes a lot of energy."

"That is a very poorly executed lie. Please try again."

"Flowey, be nice." Asriel pouted.

"Oh sure, you think because we're separate beings now, you're the boss of me. Well you can forget it!"

"No...I just figured that since we're kinda on the same side now...we could be a bit nicer to each other?"

"I'm joining with you because I wanna stay alive and _not_ get butchered to pieces, thank you."

"heh. so you're a cowardly weed."

"Better than being dead! I lasted longer than _you_ didn't I?!"

Frisk lightly and harmlessly bopped Flowey on the head, and did the same to Sans. Then he quietly told the two of them to stop fighting. Flowey merely huffed and turned his head away, while Sans shrugged and did the same. It looks like their strong mutual dislike of one another shall continue. Asriel sighed tiredly at this and scratched his fluffy ears. He really wished that he and Sans started on better terms, so maybe he and Flowey would be better. Well, there's nothing he could do about it now.

"welp, let's get to it. let's not sizzle our brains over a couple puzzles." Sans ssid as he grabbed Frisk and Asriel by the shoulders and stepped into one of his many shortcuts. It lead them to what looked like a simple Hot Dog stand. He stepped behind it and grinned. "howzabout it, kiddos? want a 'dog? since i know the both of you, you can have some for free."

"Golly! For real? Thanks Sans!" Asriel gleamed as he takes a Hot Dog...? That Sans handed out to him and Frisk. He happily eats his while Frisk stares at his own, curiously. Then out of nowhere, he places it on top of his head. Asriel blinked. "Huh...?"

"Idiot..." Flowey rolled his eyes. Can't they tell that it's actually water sausages? He doesn't think they care.

Frisk pointed at Sans and the Hot Dogs and Cats, then pointed at his head. "what? ya want more?" He grinned before placing yet another on top of his head. Frisk smiled as he again pointed again. "more? wow kid, you're hot for these things, huh?" Sans chuckled as he placed yet another one on his head.

Asriel beamed a bit at Frisk's amazing balance, and placed his paws on the counter. "Hey, I wanna try that! Can I?"

"why not, kiddo? seems like you're really into it." Sans chuckled again and placed one on Asriel's head.

"Are you three serious? What's the point of this?!" Flowey shouted in aggravation as Sans continued to place Hot Dogs and Cats on the duo's heads, to the point where they were becoming large stacks. "Bah! Don't you have anything better to do?!"

"Nope~" Asriel giggled as he and Frisk managed to balance so much of the snacks on their heads, that Sans was forced to stop.

"okay, that's enough. ya each got thirty 'dogs and cats on your heads. that equals sixty. seriously, how do you expect me to reach that high?" Sans shrugged.

"Huh...I guess I never thought about that."

"What the heck, kid? Really?" Flowey stared blankly. "Why do you have to side with Smiley Trashbag...?"

"What do you mean by thaaaaaaa-!" Asriel started, but he lost balance and fell down next to Frisk, which also caused him to lose balance and fall to the ground. All of the Hot Dogs and Hot Cats gell down when they did, littering all over the ground. "...oops." The children could only look at one another, and laugh it off. Asriel quickly turned to Sans. "Hey Sans! It's raining cats and dogs!" Flowey groaned, almost painfully from how predictable that was.

Sans' grin enhanced greatly at this. "...heh. gotta remember you have your mother's sense of humor. i like that."

"Hehehe~" Asriel giggled, as well as Frisk when they helped one another up. He turned around a bit when he heard something parading around them. It looked like a miniature vulcano looking incredibly happy. "Oh hey, it's Vulkin!"

"heh. li'l critter must have come for the 'dogs and cats."

Vulkin was genuinely trying to pick up the mess of the 'dogs and cats. Unfortunately, because it can only grab with it's mouth, this was no easy task. Frisk nonetheless smiled and told Vulkin it was doing a good job. Vulkin was very happy about this...too happy to notice that there was a dark cloue over it's head, and a bolt of lightning struck Frisk and knocked him into the ground. Asriel and Sans both panicked when he took the blow, but all he did was dust himself off and smile, telling Vulkin once again that it was doing great. Incredibly happy by this, Vulkin parades off, eager to tell his friends how he 'helped' the human. Neither of them had the hard to tell it that it's help...wasn't very helpful.

Sans sighed, rubbing his skull with relief. "good grief, kid. ya look pretty shocked."

"I never could understand you, Frisk. All you do is stand there and take the blows, and yet you keep being nice." Flowey huffed. "You never make sense to me."

Asriel kneeled down next to Frisk and began helping him up. "Okay Frisk, can you walk this off? If not, we can get you-" His eyes widened when he realized his paws were glowing the moment he touched Frisk. Slowly, the damage Frisk took began to disappear, until it was almost impossible to tell that he's just been struck by lightning. All his scratches and bits of ash were gone. Asriel slowly stepped back and stared at his own paw. "Uh..."

"wow, kid. i didn't know you had healing magic when you were alive."

"I...I don't. I never did..." Asriel said quietly. Flowey's eyes rose just slightly from this, seeing this as something quite new.

"maybe it has something to do with you absorbing genocide frisk's soul. gained something extra, that kinda thing." Sans guessed. Though a passing thought in the back of his skull suggested that it was _much_ bigger than that.

"I guess."

"hm...anyway, gotta focus on the task at hand." Sans clapped. "we still gotta get through hotlands and the core _without_ exposing asriel's identity. and since mettaton is doing his live-action stuff, that would be an incredibly bad mistake to make." He tried to think of a way to sneak asriel past those cameras. it didn't matter if monsters barely watched the show, Asriel's face simply could not afford to be on Mettaton TV, because no matter how small the chances are, Toriel could possibly see the footage. Currently, that would be _very bad_.

"...Hold still."

Asriel's eyes widened when he felt Flowey begin to wrap his vines around his head, as they grew a bit more whe it came to leaves. Until the vines disappeared, leaving a leaf-like mask on his face that managed to restrain his ears from sight as well as keep his face hidden from prying eyes. It hid his entire head aside from his eyes and allowed him to breathe normally. Not the best, but good enough.

"There. I helped. Don't expect that from me often."

"ah, don't be like that flowey. you never really had a choice." Sans shrugged as he walked forward, prompting the others to follow. "mettaton wants a show, huh? well he won't be completely expecting the show we're gonna dish out."

"You're not gonna hurt him, are you?" Asriel asked. Though Flowey was beside him and was nodding his head quickly as if begging him to do it.

"nah. we're just gonna show him...that shows don't always go according to plan. now...it's showtime."

"Ugh..."

"what's the matter, flowey? ya seem like you're gonna face _plant_ from envy. or was it en _vine?"_

"DAMMIT SANS I HATE YOU!"

 **(Meanwhile...)**

Alphys was just a bit outside of Hotlands, staring at the River Person who was patiently waiting for her to get on. She had already said her destination was Snowdin, where she and Undyne will meet up. But...she just wasn't completely sure she could do it. She already knew that declining now would make things much worse for her...she was just too crazy nervous.

Them she remembered: _Didn't Sans send me a package earlier...?_

She had brought the small thing with her in order to figure out what it was, it didn't seem very big. She unwrapped the package and saw what was inside it for the first time. She nearly fainted in disbelief at what this was.

It was a picture of Unyne and herself having wide, cheerful smiles while attending an anime convention...on the surface. But how can they...?

She noticed the ink that was written on the photo. She didn't know what Sans level of knowledge was, but it seems like this photo had resisted the temporal influx of time travel, and the message was able to persist:

 _This can be possible, you know. Our happiness isn't going to be easy to earn, but I know you can do it! You're me, after all, and I've already done it. Surely you can succeed faster than I did and I think you'll enjoy the results. But for now..._

 _Alphys...stay **determined.**_

 _Signed, Pacifist Alphys._

So the previous Alphys from a different, happier time has sent her this somewhat encouraging message in order to have her get up, have that date with Undyne, and have her be the first to hear the full truth of what she's done in the basement, in the True Lab. She was still highly unsure, but Genocide Alphys' words ringed in her head:

 _'I've lost my Undyne without ever telling her how I felt. You shouldn't be making that mistake with yours. My life is now empty. I don't want that happening to you.'_

 _'If Undyne truly cares about you, she'll understand. It's impossible for her of all people to ever hate you.'_

Alphys took a deep breath while remembering those words, adjusted her glasses, and stared ahead as she stepped onto the River Person's boat.

"I...I c-can do this..."

 **(The Void)**

Chara had absolutely no idea how long he had been walking. All that he knee that he was angry at Alphys for playing him like a fool when he basked in his overconfidence, and now he can't use LOAD without bringing serious risk to himself. He wasn't willing to do irreversible damage to himself just so he could win forever. Not initially, at least.

The Locket hangs from his neck harmlessly, jangling a bit when he always did a quick jog before slowing down and deciding it isn't worth his energy. Even despite all this damsge he did, he never let go of the Locket once he acquired it. It was something that he still has a very strong and very powerful attachment to.

Then by proxy, he still considers Asriel to be-

 **"NO!"** He shouted into the void, his voice echoing a little throughout the place, which he thought he'd never find a way to that timeline faster so he could avoid having these thoughts in his head. **"Asriel had his chance. He's nothing but a dirty traitor."** He clenched his fists, which also caused him to grip the Real Knife tightly. **"I can't trust anyone but myself at this point. Our bond...is no more."**

 **"** **YOU REALLY ARE JUST A MERE CHILD."**

Chara sighed. It didn't seem like he was the least bit intimidated by the one standing behind him. His guest noticed this, but continued anyway.

 **"** **YOU SAY YOUR SOUL IS NOW BLACK WITH PURE EVIL...AND YET YOU STILL HOLD ONTO THAT LOCKET SO STRONGLY. I DO WONDER WHY..."**

The child just sighed again as he turned around and looked up towards the forgotten monster towering over him, his shape, form, and even very essence has grown very used to the Void. It feels like his natural domain now, and he's been around much longer than Chara. Because unlike himself, Chara can leave whenever he wants as long as a timeline is nearby, but he can't. Now...he's finally decided to speak to the Fallen Child, who just started stared at him carelessly.

 **"So...this is what you look like up close and personal."** Chara said nonchalantly. **"...Gaster."**

* * *

 **Things are beginning to happen! Interesting things...hopefully. Hey, look at that. Sans plans to 'change' up Mettaton's show a bit. Frisk and Sans, along with the reluctantly recruited Flowey, try to keep Asriel hidden as best as they possibly can. Genocide Alphys will be monitoring them, along with her current self on her way to go on an (unexpected) date with Undyne...and plans to tell her the truth, prematurely.**

 **Also, Gaster and Chara meet... Unfortunately, Wing Dings translators and Fanfiction can't be friends for me. So Wing Ding had to go. Sorry.**

 **...There must be some way all of this influences future events, right...?**

 **...Oh well, won't find out right now.**

 **Until next time!**


	13. Rated M For Mettaton

**Mettaton: WELCOME TO OUR LATEST CHAPTER, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! WE FINALLY REACH ONE OF THE MORE IMPORTANT CHAPTERS IN THIS STORY. WHERE I'M ACTUALLY HAVING MORE THAN A COUPLE LINES! THAT LAST CHAPTER WAS A MOKCERY OF MY PERFORMANCE SKILLS! SO FOR NOW ON, I SHALL BE YOUR NEW HOST! AND-**

 **Me: *kicks down the door, arms tied by rope* Mettaton! You're Metta-DEAD!**

 **Mettaton: OH MY. TIME TO EXIT, STAGE LEFT! *Leaves in a hurry***

 **Me: Get back here and untie me! *chases him down***

 **Sans and Frisk stare at the scene in bewilderment, then at each other. Then Frisk asks if he wants a hot dog.**

 **Sans: yeah. i could a bit of 'dog. they'll work it out. oh, and new chapter. read it. or don't. stuff like that. i dunno.**

 **(I might not have Gaster down, so hope you can forgive that.)**

 **Chapter start!**

* * *

 **(The Void)**

The Man That Speaks In Hands, otherwise known as the Previous Royal Scientist before Alphys. W. D. Gaster.

And the Fallen Child, otherwise known as the First Human to fall into the Underground. Chara Dreemurr.

 **"** **W** **ELL WELL. YOU'VE BEEN QUITE THE OVERCONIFDENT LITTLE MEGALOMANIAC, HAVEN'T YOU?"**

 **"What brings you here? What purpose could you possibly have for confronting me?"** Chara stared at the monster in a rather bored manner. He didn't seem to think of Gaster as a threat to him in any way. Gaster allowed him to keep thinking like that, as he merely walked around the child in a circle, rubbing his chin.

 **"I COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THE HUGE MESS YOU SEEM TO BE MAKING ALL OVER THESE MULTIPLE TIMELINES. ERASING THEM. CREATING NEW ONES TO PLAY WITH FOR YOUR OWN AMUSEMENT. YOU SEEM TO SEE YOURSELF AS SOME SORT OF DEITY. WE BOTH KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT."**

 **"I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to guilt trip me. It isn't going to stop me."** Chara huffed, as his Real Knife glowed red, going in sync with his killing intent. **"Everything I've done up to this point, I've done without regret. Everyone who stood in my way, were erased. Everyone who actually had a chance and possibility to stop me, I REALLY had to erase. No one and nothing can keep me from doing as I wish."**

 **"YES. I DID NOTICE THAT YOU THINK VERY HIGHLY OF YOURSELF. YOU THINK YOU'RE ABOVE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR MANY HEAVY SINS. AND YOU TRIED TO PIN THEM ALL ON FRISK."** Gaster narrowed his eyes. **"YOU USED THE BOY FOR YOUR OWN AGENDAS, AND THEN TRIED TO MAKE IT SEEM LIKE HE AND ASRIEL WERE THE ONLY ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS MESS. YOU'RE DREADFULLY MISTAKEN."**

 **"Who do you think you are, telling me right from wrong?'** Chara clutched onto the Real Knife tightly. **"They both made their choices long ago. Frisk allowed himself to be a puppet, which allowed me to take control, and Asriel is a traitor, and I treated him fhe way traitors should be treated. Neither of these instances are my fault."**

Gaster casually pointed his eyes downward onto Chara. His eyes were deeply criticizing. And once again, the boy didn't seem to care about what he thought. But he will, in a moment. **"SO YOU'RE CHOOSING NOT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE CASUALTIES YOU'VE CAUSED OVER THE TIMELINES? YOU'RE HATRED OF HUMANS HAVE BECOME SO IMMENSE THAT YOU'RE WILLING TO PERMANENTLY DAMAGE REALITY ITSELF. YET YOU DON'T SEEM TO CARE ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS. THE KEY WORD IS _SEEM._ " **

**"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"**

 **"THE SINS ON YOUR BACK...THEY'RE FINALLY BEGINNING TO TRULY WEIGH DOWN ON YOU. YOU'RE NOW TRULY BEGINNINGING TO FEEL REGRET FOR YOUR ACTIONS."** Gaster leaned down to him, and grasped the Locket around his neck. Chara's immediate reaction was to violently pull away from him. Gaster did not flinch. **"THE LOCKET...THAT'S THE ONE VARIABLE THAT'S KEEPING ME FROM BELIEVING THAT YOU'RE FULLY INVESTED IN KEEPING THIS MASK OF PURE EVIL. THAT MASK IS FINALLY BEGINNING TO CRACK."**

Chara held the Locket tightly, trying to hide it from view. He glared at Gaster in disdain. **"You don't know what you're talking about. I'm keeping the Locket because what else can I use as a souvenir for my accomplishments?"**

 **"AND HOW FITTING IT IS. THE LOCKET THAT WAS GIVEN TO YOU BY THE PRINCE OF MONSTERS, YOUR VERY FIRST PRESENT. IT WAS GIVEN TO YOU BY SOMEONE WHO TRULY LOOKED UP TO YOU AND LOVED YOU AS A BROTHER. YOU CAN'T BRING YOURSELF TO LET GO OF IT BECAUSE OF THAT EXACT REASON."**

 **"I just told you, I don't care about Asriel anymore! HE BETRAYED ME!"** Chars shouted as he looked below him, his hair overshadowing his eyes. **"I thought he was the _ONE_ person in my life that I could truly and genuinely trust, and he let me down! I don't see why I should be feeling sympathy for a traitor." **

**"YOU LEFT HIM NO CHOICE. YOU ALMOST CAUSED ANOTHER WAR BETWEEN HUMANS AND MONSTERS."** Gaster informed as he stopped in front of Chara, still standing over him. " **AS** **MUCH AS YOU RANT ABOUT ASRIEL BEING THE TRAITOR, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO PUSHED HIM INTO MAKING SUCH A DIFFICULT CHOICE. YOUR DETERMINATION INTO SEEING THE HUMANS DESTROYED RESULTED IN PERMANENT SCARS. THEY HAVE EACH BEEN PUT THROUGH HELL BECAUSE YOU JUST COULDN'T LET GO OF YOUR HATRED OF HUMANS AND ACCEPT AND LOVE YOUR NEW FAMILY. THE UNDERGROUND IS THE WAY IT IS NOW BECAUSE OF YOU."**

Chara clenched his teeth as he looked up at the tall monster before him, his eyes glowing red. **"I did what I had to do. I don't have anything to regret. Everything I did was for the best."**

 **"WHAT YOU'VE DONE IS MAKE EVERYTHING WORSE. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOURSELF AND ASRIEL AND FRISK IS THAT THEY'RE WILLING TO ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES. YOU STILL BELIEVE YOU'RE ABOVE THEM."**

Chara once again clenched his fists as the Real Knife began glowing red again, which increased with intensity. **"Why don't you shut up? You're just a monster who got scattered across reality, your existence is no longer necessary for time to move on! What could you possibly know about me?!"**

 **"EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE...I HAVE MEMORIZED DOWN TO THE LETTER. I KNOW WHAT EVERYONE HAS DONE BECAUSE I'M SIMPLY STANDING BY WATCHING."**

 **"I'm really getting sick of looking at you."** Chara pointed the Real Knife at him.

 **"BOY...ATTACKING ME WOULD BR A GRAVE MISTAKE."** Gaster quietly looked upwards. **"YOU UNDERESTIMATE MY POWER."**

 **"You totally ripped that off."**

 **"THANK ALPHYS FOR THAT."**

Chara narrowed his eyes intensely, then widened them instantly as he lunged at Gaster, his knife drawn and intending to cut him down. What he didn't expect was to be stopped in midair by a dark tendril wrapping around his neck even faster than he lunged. He felt intense pressure around his neck as the Real Knife dopped from his fingers and clutched onto the shadow trying to choke him.

 **"YOU MADE A MISTAKE TRYING TO KILL ME HERE. THE VOID HAS BECOME MY ALLY, DUE TO HOW LONG I'VE BEEN HERE. I COULD ERASE YOU MYSELF, YOU KNOW. I COULD END ALL OF THIS MYSELF, AND NO ONE WOULD KNOW BUT ME."** Gaster threatened quietly, close to crushing Chara's windpipe...then he roughly set him down. **"BUT I WON'T. I AM AN OBSERVER, I TRY NOT TO AFFECT THE VARIABLES OF AN OUTCOME TOO MUCH. THEY BECOME MUCH MORE INTERESTING WHEN I LEAVE THEM ALONE. BECAUSE OF THIS, I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU. YOUR DEFEAT IS INEVITABLE, ANYHOW."**

The child was taking some time to recover from the ordeal, desperately trying to get sir into his lungs. He thought he was able to overpower anyone he came across. Then comes Gaster, revealing that he could take him out anytime he wished, but choosing not to. Very important note, avoid provoking Gaster at all costs.

 **"THE TIMELINE YOU'RE HEADING FOR...SHALL BE INTERESTING. MAINLY BECAUSE NOW THE CHANCES OF YOUR VICTORY ARE NO LONGER CERTAIN. EVEN MORE INTERESTING FOR _HOW_ THEY'LL ACHIEVE VICTORY. UNTIL THEN...** **I'LL BE WATCHING LIKE I ALWAYS HAVE BEEN. IT'S NO LONGER A CHOICE FOR ME..."** Gaster said as he stood upright again, then disappeared into the shadows.

Chara was not happy right now. He has proven time and time again through his LOVE vount that there wasn't anything that could stand up to him. Yet Gaster overpowered him easily without having to try hard at all. This was humiliating. And now he said that the timeline he was heading for, the timeline Genocide Alphys used Genocide Frisk's **DETERMINATION** to get to, which stranded him here. Even though he has his own soul again, he couldn't use LOAD to get there...he had to travel there and enter manually. And it both bored and infuriated him that he couldn't get there faster.

 **"Damn it. Who does he think he is, trying to guilt-trip me? He doesn't even technically exist anymore, what does he know?!"** He muttered gravely, while staring out. **"There isn't anything he or anyone else can do to stop me. Who cares if I currently can't LOAD-"**

The moment he said LOAD, he was shocked as Toriel suddenly came into view right in front of him. He blinked in confusion when she didn't move at all. She was standing there devoid of emotion, and a sickly dark purple aura covered her entire body. It was strange. Wanting to test a theory, he tried again.

In yet another instant, Asgore also showed up, and once again, totally emotionless and havin the same aura. Chara managed to regain his smile.

 **"Interesting. I can summon an ally from the saves I made from the time lines I erased, AND they're heavily affected by my influence. I think I can find quite some use with this. I do wonder what happens...when a monster's soul is made of hate, despair, and rage...instead of love, hope, and compassion?"** He said to himself, as a couple scenarios began running through his mind. Though...he couldn't help but stare at the forms of his fractured foster parents. He didn't know what got into him, but he had them act on his command. Their first order...was to sit on their knees next to him and wrap him up in a dual hug. He knew it wasn't really real, and he knew he was only fooling himself. But...he couldn't help but think to himself...and his lips quivered. He tried to fight off the feeling. He swore to himself that no matter what he did, he'd never feel regret for his actions. He's made his choice, and he isn't about to go back on them.

So...he just couldn't understand why he felt so empty inside. He wasn't as...satisfied as he used to be. It was like the last Sans said. The satisfaction...it's no longer there. The destruction...was that really his only purpose? It used to be fun. But now...now he was having a hard time remembering why he chooses to continue. Once again, Genocide Alphys got in his head:

 _'I suppose you're not as pure evil as you make yourself out to be.'_

 **"No. Gaster and Alphys don't know what they're talking about! This is what I chose and I plan on seeing it through! So I have absolutely no reason to feel..."** Chara started quietly. Then he stared down below as he brought his Locket closer to his eyes and opened it. He stared long and silently at the small picture of himself and Asriel. The latter was smiling while his own was neutral at best. Even if it's the negative aspect of the Heart Locket of the Pacifist Route, the words still remained:

 _'Best Friends Forever'_

 **"...regret..."** Those three words didn't even matter to him the first time. But after so many runs and seeing those same three words constantly...he couldn't get them out of his head.

Chara's sudden uncertainty about the purpose and drive of his actions...

...his **DETERMINATION** faltered.

 **(Hotlands)**

Sans was making his way alongside Frisk, Flowey, and a disguised Asriel. Their progress was outstanding. Frisk was able to easily avoid any potential fights that could crop up out of nowherex and it made walking through Hotlands that much easier.

"So...Sans. Why do you want to go on Mettaton's show this time?" Asriel asked him after a certain amount of time has passed.

Sans looked to the side, looking a bit aggravated, but not by Asriel. "...i don't like the guy very much. i think he's a bad influence on paps."

"Why? Mettaton isn't a bad person."

"i know he isn't a bad person. incredibly narcissistic, but not a bad guy. regardless, i really don't want paps innocent confidence to turn into confidence coming even close to being anything like mettaton's. he's just that confident in himself, while mettaton is just in it for the attention most of the time. of course i can't stop paps from watching the guy, so i can only hope for the best."

"Well that is true, Mettaton is a bit of an attention hog. But at least he genuinely cares about Alphys."

"his way of showing it could use some improvements, though."

"Just a bit."

Frisk jumped a bit when he heard his cell phone ring. He took it out of his pocket and answered.

 _"My child, are you doing well?"_ Frisk smiled as he tells her that he was fine, and Sans was doing a good job watching over him. _"Okay, splendid. I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright."_

"hey tori, ya gotta lighten up a little. i promised you i would protect the kid no matter what, and i'm doing a good job so far." Sans added sincerely, leaning in towards the phone.

 _"Oh, Sans! It's not that I don't trust you, I apologize if I sounded that way. I just can't help but worry sometimes. I haven't been around in the Underground for so long, things might get unpredictable, and not in a kindly manner."_

"the kid is in good hands, tori. i can get unpredictable when i need to be. i'm a _sanstastic_ guardian."

 _"Hehehe! I'm sure you are. Well, I suppose I'll just go then. Undyne seems rather panicked about something, while at the same time...gleeful? I am unsure. I suppose I'll have to ask her about it. Talk to you both soon."_

 _Click..._

Frisk put his phone away and turned towards Asriel. He had his head turned in the opposite direction for the entire call, and it saddened Frisk to see him this way. The prince sensed this, and turned to him. "You don't have to feel sorry for me, Frisk. This is how things need to be for the time being. The time isn't right. Not yet."

"Yeah! Don't give him worthless pity! What's that going to do for him?" Flowey huffed.

"Flowey, come on. No need to be like that."

"it's like you said, this is just how things are right now. the weed is carrying all of your negative emotions while you kept a majority of your positive ones." Sans shrugged. "like you said, he's the negative side of you that you considered someone entirely different from yourself. you wanted to be known as a separate being from him. in an unexpected way, you got your wish."

"Yeah. I really didn't expect to be getting my body back." Asriel sighed, gently pawing at his chest in which Genocide Frisk's soul now resided. "Although...I wish it would have been under circumstances better than sarcrifice..."

"this beating yourself up thing...it's not gonna end soon, is it?" Sans sighed, rubbing the top of his head. He himself trying to talk him out of that mindset won't do any good, especially since most of Asriel's actions as Flowey has done irreversible damage to Sans' mentality. There was no way he was going to get over that soon. Its impressive enough that Asriel is even able to look him in the eyes...er...eye-sockets, without flinching too harshly.

Frisk came closer to Asriel and gave him a warm, caring hug. The prince smiled as he wrapped his arms around Frisk, returning the embrace fully. "Thanks Frisk. You'd do anything to make sure I don't stay unhappy, huh? And that goes for everyone you meet."

Flowey rolled his eyes. "You both are unbelivably wimpy. You have to realize that that kindness won't last forever. Might as well quit that now unless you wanna spend the rest of your lives as punching bags."

"frisk is pretty good at taking it and not dishing it out" Sans said. Frisk turned towards them and did a thumbs up as if to agree.

Asriel tilted his head a little as he touched up on his leaf mask. Flowey turned towards him with one eye raised. "What are you doing?"

"Fixing up my mask...Aha! There!" Asriel adjusted his mask so that it grew a little bit to resemble a green scarf, while still hiding a majority of his face and his ears. "This is my persona for sneaking around places. I'm Leafy The Leaf Ninja!"

Sans and Flowey sweatdropped, while Frisk did a thumbs up. The former chuckled as he covered his face. "dude...you suck at naming things just as much as your pops."

"It's your fault that I'm named so vaguely! I mean, Flowey the Flower!? I'm stuck with that name forever, you brat!" The plant shouted angrily.

Asriel pouted as he folded his arms. "Meanies. Leafy is a good name." Frisk readily agrees with this. "See? Frisk agrees with me!" They continued moving through the area, until they are met with only darkness. "Huh...? It got really dark all of a sudden."

"give it a sec."

Just as Sans said, the lights instantly turned on as Mettaton slowly rose up from behind a counter. They were currently in a kitchen set. Flowey remembers being here...it was utterly ridiculous no matter how many times he's seen it. Asriel however, was pretty intrigued.

"WELCOME BEAUTIES! TO THE UNDERGROUND'S PREMIER COOKING SHOW!"

 _{Cooking With A Killer Robot}_

Frisk was generous enough to clap alongside Asriel. Sans waved casually. "heh. looks like i'm guest-starring this."

"PRE-HEAT YOUR OVENS, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A VERY SPECIAL RECIPE FOR YOU TODAY! WE'RE GOING TO BE BAKING...A CAKE!"

"Cake?!" Asriel's eyes beamed at the word. "Leafy is all-aboard on this!"

"I can't believe you're actually using the name..." Flowey deadpanned.

"YES INDEED! MY LOVELY ASSISTANTS HERE WILL GATHER THE INGREDIENTS! EVERYONE GIVE THEM A BIG HAND!"

Applause sounds could be heard all around the set. Once again, Frisk and 'Leafy' clapped with them. Sans took a bow just for the fun of it, and Flowey was waiting for it all to end.

"WE'LL NEED SUGAR, MILK, AND EGGS. GO FOR IT, BEAUTIES."

"yo, the sugar is easy." Sans grinned, grabbing it from the counter.

Frisk held the milk above his head as if it were his greatest accomplishment ever. Toriel would sqee at how adorable he looked right now.

"And I have the eggs!" 'Leafy' held up the egg carton.

" _eggcellent_ work, 'leafy'." Sans holds his hands up as a loud 'ba-dum-tsss!' echoed throughout the set, along with a fit of laughter.

"...You know what? Whatever. Sure. Why not?" Flowey grumbled.

"MILK, SUGAR, EGGS...OH MY! WAIT A MAGNIFICENT MOMENT! HOW COULD I FORGET? WE'RE MISSING THE MOST IMPORTANT INGREDIENT!" ...cue sudden chainsaw. "A HUMAN SOUL."

"Wait what?!" 'Leafy' panicked. "W-Wait! Hold on! You can't do that!"

"HM? I CAN'T?"

"think about it for a sec, metta. this is suppose to be a family-friendly show. pretty sure that which you are planning to do...ain't family-friendly." Sans shrugged. "course i'm not an expert on this stuff, so i wouldn't know for sure."

"HM...NO. YOU'RE CORRECT, SANS! I ALMOST MADE QUITE THE ERROR." Mettaton puts the chainsaw away, which got a sigh of relief from 'Leafy'. Though Flowey looked a bit disappointed. "LUCKILY, I HAVE A PERFECT SUBSTITUTE! MTT-BRAND ALWAYS CONVENIENT HUMAN-SOUL-FLAVOR-SUBSTITUTE! A CAN IN WHICH...IS OVER BY THAT COUNTER!"

Asriel and Frisk looked over to see that it was indeed over to the other side of the room, on a counter. Sooooo convenient.

"WELL DARLINGS? WHY DON'T YOU GO GET IT?" Their current host questioned. "WHAT'S THE MATTER? NOT CAN FANS? THAT'S TOO BAD! MTT-BRAND USES ONLY THE FRESHEST ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS AND CHEMICALS!"

 _I doubt that very highly._ Flowey thought quietly.

"Well, we might as well go and get it." 'Leafy' rushes over to grab it...though the counter suddenly began rising exponentially, halting his progress. "Wha...?!"

"ALMOST FORGOT TO TELL YOU. OUR SHOW RUNS ON A STRICT SCHEDULE. IF YOU CAN'T GET THE CAN IN THE NEXT ONE MINUTE...WE'LL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL PLAN!"

"hey. what about that stuff about family-friendliness?" Sans spoke up.

"CENSORS WILL BE PROVIDED."

"...he's got me there."

"WELL, BETTER START CLIMBING, BEAUTIES!~" After this, Mettaton flies upward, and the timer begins ticking.

"Smiley Trashbag! Do something!" Flowey shouted.

Sans nodded as he reached his hand up as high as he could...then lazily flopped down and let out a sigh. "welp. i gave it a shot." Laughter fills the set once again at his half-hearted attempt to assist as Asriel and Flowey sweatdropped. He did that on purpose.

 _Ringing..._

"G. Alphys here." Genocide Alphys shortened it so that they'd no it wasn't the current Alphys. Confusing concept, but they'll get by. "I'm guessing you already know about the button with the jetpack. But I feel like I gotta remind you anyway. Frisk, 'Jetpack' button. Otherwise known as the _best_ feature on a cell phone, _ever._ Second only to internet, of , you know what to do."

 _Click..._

Frisk nodded silently as he pressed a button on the cell phone, and it transforms intona jet back that wraps around his waist. He blasts off after the can. Mettaton attempts to slow him down by tossing eggs, milk, and flour at him. Though Frisk skillfully dodges all projectiles headed his way, and manages to reach the can in record time, faster than he's ever done. But no one else knows that.

"MY MY. IT SEEMS YOU HAVE BESTED ME. BUT ONLY BECAUSE YOU HAD THE HELP OF THE BRILLIANT DR. ALPHYS. OH, I LOATHE TO THINK OF WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPEN TO YOU WITHOUT HER. WELL, TOODLES." Alas, Mettaton flew away...only to come back for a couple moments. "ALSO, ABOUT THAT SUBSTITUTION? HAVEN'T YOU SEEN A COOKING SHOW BEFORE? I ALREADY BAKED A CAKE AHEAD OF TIME. SO FORGET IT." Then he flies away again.

"so far so good. let's keep treading onward." Sans nodded. Flowey and Frisk both began moving onward...and realized Asriel was missing. "hold up. we're short a kid."

"What is that stupid kid do-" Flowey heard the sounds of cheerful chewing and delightful licks, and his eye twitched with annoyance. "What the...are you eating the cake?!"

Asriel froze as he hurriedly put something back in the oven and slowly turned towards his comrades with an adorably guilty look on his face. His cheeks were puffed and his muzzle was covered in frosting. He swallowed and sighed in resignation. "Yes...but don't worry! It doesn't taste like anything related to souls!"

"Ugh..."

 **(Snowdin)**

Toriel was sitting on the couch in the skeleton bros' home, reading her Snail book. Of course she had been worried about Frisk's well-being at all times. But she trusted Sans to watch out for him until he came back for her. Hotlands was far too heavily guarded for her to travel alongside him. Still, she hoped that he and Flowey would take care of him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Undyne kicking the door down, making her jump slightly out of her fur. "My word!"

"Sorry Toriel, I should have knocked. But _technically_ I knocked first. I just did it with my foot." Undyne said hurriedly as she stepped inside. Toriel noticed her change in clothes. She's wearing a white turtleneck under a black leather jacket, blue pants, and a white-colored eyepatch replacing her black one. She also let her hair down, so it slightly covered her other eye, but not too much.

"Well well, what's the occasion, Undyne? You look wonderful." Toriel smiled, standing up and looking Undyne up and down.

"Thanks. And I'm kind of...kind of...er..." Undyne rubbed her arm, a small blush beginning to overtake her cheeks. "...waiting on my date..."

"Ooh, you're going on a date? Splendid!" Toriel clapped lightly. "Who is it?"

The Royal Guard captain was rubbing her neck nervously, which was highly unlike her. She looked incredibly hesitant to tell her. Then a thought came to Toriel's mind, and she tapped her muzzle. "Hold on...I remember one of the times when Sans came by the entrance of the Ruins. He mentioned that the Royal Guard Captain tends to hang around the Royal Scientist a lot when she isn't training and soending time with his brother. He said that the two girls seem to be very close..." Undyne's blush intensified, as she silently cursed Sans' name. Toriel's eyes beamed and she clapped again. "Goodness gracious, a crush! And you're going on a date with her today? What an opportunity this is!"

Undyne blinked. "Wait...you don't think it's...?"

Toriel seemed to guess where she was going with this, and she patted her shoulder. "Undyne...I say with utmost certainty that you mustn't worry for how others think. Love comes in many shapes and sizes. The one thing that takes high priority is that it's true and genuine."

"Oh. Okay!" Undyne nodded strongly. "Love comes in many shapes and sizes, huh? So what does that mean for you and Asgore? Since you two both have some apologizing and making up to do, after all."

Toriel sighed. She'll admit that she may have set herself up for that one. "Me and Asgore...we shall see what happens." It was neither denial nor acceptance. More like...indecision. "While you wait for her to arrive, care to share details on how the two of you met?"

Undyne looked up at the ceiling, in deep thought. "It was kind of a random encounter really. I was just patrolling around looking for something interesting to do..."

 **(Past Memory...)**

"Gah...this is not what I had in mind for my daily plans." Undyne groaned as she marched through Waterfall, a rather bored and irritated look on her face. She had _hoped_ for something interesting to happen. She wasn't picky about what it could be. It might be a rescue, could be a mib breakup, it could even be a fight...she's _very_ interested in getting into a worthy battle. Unfortunately, no one quite reaches her level of power except for Asgore, who still completely and utterly surpasses her. Not that it'll stop her, though.

She was thinking over this for quite a long time, before she heard something murmur. 'Should I really...? Maybe I should. B-But that would be utterly cowardly. And y-yet still...I-I..."

 _Who's whispering over there...?_ She narrowed her eye a bit as she pushed through a hit of the garbage piles in order to get a better view of who was speaking. She could see someone standing before some large hole in the ground, which was completely filled with so much darkness that it might be close to impossible to tell what's at the bottom. But she was more interested in the person standing before it. Seeing her yellow scales and white lab coat, she guessed she was the Royal Scientist thay Asgore informed her that she hired. Strange that she never met her until this exact point in time. Seeing how she was just staring into that dark hole looking...contemplative...it didn't really sit well with Undyne. Though she had no idea why.

She decides to go up and strike a conversation. Better than walking around and doing nothing, at least.

"Hey! You're Asgore's new Royal Scientist, right?'

"W-What?!" She turned around instantly to see that Undyne was walking up to her. The Captain of the Royal Guard was walking up to _her!_ Why?! "U-U-Um..."

Undyne stopped in front of the abyss and stared into it for a good while. After that, she narrwed her eye and placed her focus back to Alphys. "Hey. I dunno what's so interesting about this giant hole thing. Why do you keep staring into it?"

"W-Well...I...u-u-h..." Alphys hesitated heavily. She couldn't tell Undyne what she was thinking about doing with this abyss. She also didn't have any idea what to say to her, this was their first official meeting. She had to think of something to divert her attention. "I-I have p-plenty of t-theories as to what this a-abyss might lead to, a-a-and what it might have inside it..."

Undyne's eye widened. "Wait. I thought this was just some endless hole of nothing! There could actually be something in there?!"

"U-Um...yeah. I-It could be a passageway to some other civilization we don't know about in the Underground..."

"You mean there could actually be an Underground that's _under_ the Underground?! That's insane!" Undyne gasped, her eye widening in surprise.

"I-It really is, yes." Alphys laughed softly. "T-Though it c-could also lead to some complicated maze that might take quite some time to f-fully solve..."

Undyne blinked. "A maze that can stretch that far may exist...? Man, I'd never find my way out of that! I'd end up breaking the walls down at some point! Then it won't be much of a maze anymore! Easy victory! Fuhuhuhuhu!"

Alphys blushed a bit at her laugh. Most would find it intimidating. But she...felt something else. "It c-could also..." Her small smile dropped, and she turned away. "N-No...I shouldn't be w-wasting your time with this..."

"Ah what?! Don't quit on me now! I'm not doing anything! Patrol is boring as hell today anyways. The other guards got it covered." Undyne set her helmet down and sits next to Alphys, crossing her legs. "Keep em' coming. What else?"

Alphys's eyes widened a bit when Undyne insisted on staying by her side. But why...? _Doesn't matter. She's waiting for you to say something else! Think!_ "U-Uh...Asgore had an idea that i-it may potentially lead to a n-new exit from the Underground..."

"FOR REAL?!" Hope filled Undyne's eye.

"B-But it's highly unlikely. T-There isn't enough data on it to make a trusted conclusion..." Undyne's smile fell a bit.

"Shit. Oh well, it was worth a shot." Undyne shrugged. "Come on, tell me more!"

So they sat there for hours, Alphys talking about the many scenarios that could be related to the abyss. With each possible scenario, Undyne's eye became brighter and brighter as her interest grew. And Alphys could feel her smile becoming more and more genuine, and her urge to do something... _cowardly_...decreased over time. She was surprised, and happy that Undyne would take up most of her day to hang out with her, listen to her, talk with her...

...being her friend.

Eventually, Undyne sat upwards, stretching out. "Ngaaaaahh...well I just spent my entire patrol hours hanging out with a nerd like you. That's a nice change of pace." Undyne smiled brightly. Alphys blushed heavily at the sight of it. Very few monsters she knew had a smile as bright as hers. "We gotta do that again sometime. I should head over to your place the next time!"

"U-Uh...that might not be a g-good idea."

"Why?"

"M-My lab...is in H-Hotland..."

"WHAAAAAAAAT?! HOTLAND?!" Undyne shouted in surprise as she groaned while clutching her head. "Dammit! Hotland sucks! I don't wanna have to go over there constantly!"

Alphys laughed softly at her annoyance, it was a more lax laughter than before. "Yeah...it is p-pretty hot where I live..."

"Alright then! You're gonna have go come to MY house instead, then." Undyne pointed a finger at the shocked Alphys, who was wide-eyed at such a thought. "This isn't a request. We're friends now, and friends hang out! So don't try any funny business involving skipping out on our hangout days without a REALLY good excuse. You come to me, or I'll come find you myself." Alphys was a bit dumbstruck by Undyne's strong straightforward insistence. "So whaddya say, Alphys? Wanna hang out?"

 _Didn't she just say it wasn't a choice...? I don't think she realizes it._ Alphys couldn't help but smile at such an offer. "Y-Yes...I would l-love to hang out with you m-morex U-Undyne..."

"Fuhuhuhuhu! Excellent!" Undyne cackled as she grabbed her helmet and began running off. "Remember, you come to me or I'll come get you! See ya!"

"Y-Yeah...s-see you later..." Alphys waved softly as her smile brightened up a bit more. Perhaps her inner darkness did have some light in it after all.

Alphys felt her heart tingle at the thought of spending more time with a cool person like Undyne.

Undyne felt a tingle in her heart as she realizes that Alphys may just be the cutest nerd ever.

The connection has been set.

 **(Present)**

"And that's pretty much how we started out. We began hanging out more after that." Undyne shrugged. "It became a thing for us. When I wasn't on duty, I had Alphys come over to my house and we would watch anime together like, all of the time! Sometimes until we pass out."

"Anime...?" Toriel tilted her head.

"That's what Alphys called them, they're supposed to be records on human history. My viewpoint still stands. Humans suck. Frisk is cool though." Undyne added quickly to avoid Toriel's burning gaze. "But their history kinda rules!"

"I...suppose so, Undyne." Toriel smiled. Though she mentally went back a few details on Undyne's recollection on her first meeting with Alphys. She mentioned that the Royal Scientist was staring down into the abyss with a 'contemplative' look on her face. Toriel knew a combination like that led to one dark scenario. Alphys might have been heavily considering suicide at that very moment. Undyne's timeful intervention and genuine desire to spend time with her...it might have saved her life.

Though it makes Toriel question: What would damage Alphys on such a level that she'd consider killing herself? She had no time to ponder, as she heard a knock at the door. "Oh?"

"I got it." Undyne sat up as she walked over and opened the door. Her eye widened when she saw Alphys. She was wearing a black and white polka dot dress. "Alphys...you look so cute! I've never seen you in that dress before!"

Alphys blushed profusely, just slightly covering her face. "T-Thank you, U-Undyne. So...are you ready to go...?"

"Of course! Let's do this! Just...go on ahead for a bit, okay?" Undyne said confidently. Alphys nodded shyly as she turned and left ahead.

Toriel walked up and patted Undyne's shoulder. "You're nervous, aren't you?"

"I'm confident on the outside. Horribly anxious on the inside." Undyne blushed in embarrassment. "I'm afraid of messing this up big-time, and I **REALLY** don't wanna mess this up!"

"Pre-date jitters, my child. It is quite normal." Toriel rubbed her shoulders lightly, smiling to reassure her. "Try not to worry too much about it. This is a great chsnce to imorove your relationship with her. Embrace it."

"...Okay Toriel. Thanks." Undyne nodded as she took a moment to calm her nerves. "Alright Undyne. You got this. This is your toughest challenge yet. And you are not gonna lose it! NGAAAAAHHH!" Undyne cried out as ran out the door after Alphys, who was surprise when the fish-woman picked her up and began carrying her to Waterfall...she had no idea what she was doing, did she?

Toriel sweatdropped as she awkwardly waved goodbye. "...they'll be fine."

 **(Hotlands)**

"Okay. Let me just point this out. Just a tiny, small bit. What happened back there...I don't think I'll ever understand it." Flowey sighed in aggravation as he was wrapped around 'Leafy's' arm. They had just been through quite a confusing and surprising scenario. Yet at the same time...it's very sweet.

Backtracking...

Sans wasn't wrong about the Royal Guard also being stationed in Hotlands. Frisk remembers RG 01 and RG 02, as well as how they felt about one another. And apparently they had around the same issues that all Royal Guard members have when they wear big heavy armor...overheating. It's those kinds of things that makes Sans wonder why they don't try making armor that has some sort of cooling system?

Well, not like it matters much anyway. The heat became too much. Sans shielded the children's eyes as 02 unceremoniously withdrew the top half of his armor, which left 01 a jittering mess. Constant persistence from Frisk told 01 to be honest about his feelings and follow his heart. And after quite an awkward but genuine sorta confession, the two went off to get some ice cream, allowing the group to continue onwards.

"heh. now if only it were that easy to get alphys and undyne together."

"I feel like I've accomplished something amazing~" Asriel beamed, which Frisk readily agreed. "I don't think there's much that can spoil my mood at this point."

"I could take a shot at it." Flowey muttered.

"i wouldn't recommend it, weed."

They continued on their current path, until once again they were met with nothing but darkness. Flowey sighed. "And here we go again..."

The lights came on once again, and they found themsekves standing in the middle of yet another set, whike Mettatin remained unseen.

"GOOD EVENING, BEAUTIES AND GENTLEBEAUTIES! THIS IS METTATON REPORTING LIVE FROM MTT NEWS!" 'Leafy' resisted the all-powerful urge to say 'HI MOM!' at the top of his lungs. The result...wouldn't be very great. "AN INTERESTING SITUATION HAS ARISEN IN EASTERN HOTLAND! FORTUNATELY, OUR CORRESPONDANTS ARE OUT THERE, REPORTING LIVE! BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS! PLEASE FIND SOMETHING NEWSWORTHY TO REPORT! OUR TEN WONDERFUL VIEWERS ARE WAITING FOR YOU!"

"ok."

"I REALLY hate this. I hope you know that."

"Let's go reporting, Frisk!" 'Leafy' cheered as he helped Frisk along to do some exploring. Sans shrugged while Flowey sighed as he got out of his pot and burrowed Underground. He reappeared and pointed to a basketball.

"Here! I found some...cruddy basketball."

"BASKETBALL'S A BLAST, ISN'T IT, DARLING? TOO BAD YOU CAN'T PLAY WITH THESE BALLS." _heh._ "THEY'RE MTT-BRAND FASHION BASKETBALLS. FOR WEARING, NOT PLAYING. YOU CAN'T GET RICH AND FAMOUS LIKE MOI WITHOUT BEAUTIFYING A FEW ORBS." _heh._ "IT SEEMS OUR PLANT REPORTER IS DRAWN TO SPORTS LIKE MOTHS TO A FLAMING BASKETBALL HOOP."

" _This_ moth doesn't do very well with fire." Flowey huffed, and placed the basketball down. "And YOU, Smiley Trashbag, what were you laughing about?"

"nothin." Sans snickered, covering his mouth with a fist. Gotta stay family friendly. Plus Frisk and Asriel were close by. "anyway, i found a glass of water."

"OH MY!...IT'S A COMPLETELY NONDESCRIPT GLASS OF WATER. BUT ANYTHING CAN MAKE A GREAT STORY WITH ENOUGH SPIN! I'M HONORED TO BE IN THE PRESENCE OF SUCH A HUGE LUKEWARM WATER FAN, FOLKS!"

"ah well." Sans lifted the glass and turned towards Flowey. "hey buddy? need a drink? eh? water the flowey, right?"

"Don't you dare."

"I found a video game!" Asriel holds it over his head.

"OOH LA LA! THIS VIDEO GAME YOU FOUND...IS DYNAMITE! THOUGH I DON'T MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN IT UNTIL THREE-FOURTHS IN. BUT I LIKE THAT. APPEARING FROM THE HEAVEnS LIKE MANNA, SLAKING THE AUDIENCE'S HUNGER FOR GORGEOUS ROBOTS...OOH! THAT'S METTATON!"

"Mettaton making a heroic grand entrance?"

"EXACTLY! YOU'RE REALLY BEGINNING TO GET THE FLOW OF THINGS!"

Sans nodded. "alright, we might wanna wrap this reporting session up soon. don't want him to gey drunk off ego."

"OH MY GOODNESS. TURN THE CAMERA TOWARDS THE HUMAN!" Lights turned towards Frisk and the sight...

Frisk was kneeling in front of the Annoying Dog and giving him a hug, still having his neutral expression on, while the dog happily and affectionately licked his cheek multiple times, barking in-between and having a happy smile on his own face.

"OH MY! IT'S HARD TO ADMIT, BUT THIS IS ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! THE HUMAN HAS FORMED A BOND WITH MAN'S BEST FRIEND! SUCH A TOUCHING STORY!" Sans pulled out his phone, got in a proper non-suspicious angle, and snapped a picture. He was definitely sending that to Toriel later. "INDEED, IT'S THE FEEL-GOOD STORY OF THE YEAR...TOO BAD IT IS A BOMB!"

"ah. why'd ya have to do that, huh?"

"BUT DON'T PANIC! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN THE REST OF THE ROOM YET!" The set falls to shambles in moments. All the objects they checked, and the ones they didn't, all show the they're bombs. "OH MY! IT SEEMS EVERYTHING IN THIS AREA IS ACTUALLY A BOMB! THAT DOG'S A BOMB! THAT BASKETBALL IS BOMB! THAT GLASS OF WATER IS A BOMB! EVEN MY WORDS ARE...!" _**BOOM!**_

"HEY! WATCH IT!" Flowey hissed, nearly being damaged by the word explosions.

"BRAVE CORRESPONDENTS! IF YOU FAIL TO DEFUSE ALL OF THE BOMBS..." Cue the big pink bomb up ahead. "THIS BIG BOMB WILL BLOW YOU TO SMITHEREENS IN TWO MINUTES! THEN YOU WONT BE REPORTING 'LIVE' ANY LONGER! HOW TERRIBLE! HOW DISTURBING! OUR NINE VIEWERS ARE GOING TO LOVE WATCHING THIS!"

"Aw...we lost one. It used to be ten." 'Leafy' pouted.

 _Ringing..._

"Defusing bomb app, boys. It's awfully convenient for local bomb threats! Apparently that's currently happening right now, so now you get to test it! Good deal, huh?'

 _Click..._

"straight to the point, g. alphys? alright." Sans shrugged.

"Good thing I'm a dirty cheater!" Flowey smirked as he extended most of his vines from the ground and grabbed all of the bombs in the area and brought them to one place. "Frisk, hurry up and defuse the bombs!" Frisk brought out his defusing bomb app and defused all of the bombs except for the big pink one...which Flowey tipped over the edge. "...oops. I dropped it."

 _ **BOOM!**_

The entire area shook a bit roughly as the explosion shook the rock platform they were standing on, but no enough to make it unstable. Sans glared at Flowey for such a reckless move, while the plant whistled innocently. Frisk and 'Leafy' were hanging onto one another to try and keep each other from falling.

"OH DEAR. THAT WAS QUITE UNEXPECTED. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS BLOWN UP FROM THAT BLAST...WE STILL HAVE TO FILL OUT THE TIME SLOT, AND THAT DIDN'T SEEM LIKE A GOOD TIME TO BLOW UP!" Mettaton stated, not feeling too much concern, really. "AH WELL. IT WAS QUITE A SPECTACLE FOR OUR EIGHT VIEWERS TO BEHOLD! UNTIL THE NEXT TIME, DARLINGS!" He flies off, along with the cameras, leaving no time for a rebuttal.

Flowey huffed. "Finally. That part is over at last...huh?!" He yelped as he was suddenly uprooted by a blue field of magic, and was now staring at a rather displeased Sans. "What are you doing?!"

 **"that little move of yours, if you messed it up, it seriously could have hurt frisk and asriel. ironically, they're the only ones keepin' me from tearin' out your petals right now."**

"NOW you get irked by my fast actions!? Come on, Sans! They're fine, aren't they?! You seriously gonna consider wasting me because I gave a little push that could have possibly blown us all up?" Flowey paused. "...Oooh, now I hear it."

"Sans, Flowey, calm down." Asriel pushed Sans' hand down as Frisk placed Flowey back in his pot. "We can't be fighting one another now. We have to keep moving."

Sans sighed. "right, kiddo. gotta keep movin'. but first..." Sans pulled out his cell phone, and began typing...

 **(Snowdin)**

Toriel had returned to reading her snail book while resting in the skeleton brothers home. She jumped a bit and adjusted her reading glasses as she pulled out her phone and opened up. Alphys came back a little while and quickly made some upgrades to it since it was heavily outdated. She saw that Sans sent her a picture message. "A picture...?" She opened up the picture to see it's contents. She then gasped softly and her eyes sparkled behind her glasses.

"My adorable child is cuddling with that adorable dog...that's so precious!" She giggled as she began texting Sans back.

 _"Thank you for the picture. Frisk looks so cute right now! I wish I could be there myself and hug them both!"_

 _"yeah, still a bit too risky for you to come over here, tori. but don't worry, we're getting much closer to our destination. after a bit more distance and a bit of preparation, i'll come and get you."_

 _"See that you do. I'm betting that he misses me."_

 _"he sure does."_ Whether he was talking about Frisk or Asgore, he left completely vague. Luckily she didn't notice.

Toriel smiled and began typing again. _"Hey Sans."_

 _"what?"_

 _"Did the dog go after your bones?~"_

 _"...doggonit tori."_

"Hehehehehe!" Toriel giggled, lightly kicking her feet in the process while covering her muzzle. She could get used to this whole 'upgraded texting' thing. It's so fun!

* * *

 **Ha. I was gonna end this on a rather darker tone...nah! Let's have Toriel have a bit of fun with her upgraded phone and being adorable about it, instead!...I make great choices! :D**

 **Oh well. Next Chapter continues the group's progression across Hotlands, and Undyne and Alphys date officially starts! I was gonna include it in this one. But nah, it's long enough as it is.**

 **...Chara? Showing hesitation? Since when? And why now, after so many Geno runs?**

 **...**

 **...welp, we won't be finding out right now.**

 **See ya~**


	14. Fishy Date, Spider Dance, Glamour Flash

**Sans: longest chapter so far. seriously. it won't be getting longer than this. and half of it is just undyne and alphys's date.**

 **Me: Sorry! Couldn't help it!**

 **Alphys: I-I'm definitely n-not complaining...n-not much, anyway...**

 **Sans: anyway, ben here doesn't wanna make this any longer because it sometimes glitches the document and he sometimes has to rewrite somethin'.**

 **So let's just get to the point.**

* * *

 **(Waterfall)**

"U-Undyne! M-Maybe we shouldn't be going so f-fast!"

Alphys has no idea why she was so surprised with Undyne suddenly picked her up and took off running with her being held over her head. Because right now, she was much more focused on keeping herself from passing out from the embarrassment. She tried her best to keep her glasses balanced on her face, and there wasn't much she could do to hide the massive blush on her face. Right now, she was pretty powerless under her the possession of her crush. Well, not that she minded that, you know.

Undyne finally came tons screeching halt, the heels of her boots assisting with slowing her down. "Ha...Ha...Finally. Waterfall! Now we can get this date thing over with!" Undyne chanted confidently. Then she blinked a little as she softly and carefully set Alphys down and dusted her off. "Err...sorry about that. I kinda got fired up."

"N-No worries, Undyne. I-I'm fine." She stuttered as she adjusted her glasses, seeing as they got a bit off-balance due to the rough carrying. "I-I don't mean to be rude, b-but can I have a couple moments of privacy? I need to make a phone call."

"Huh? Oh, sure. I'll just be over here for a bit while you do so." One that think she can always appreciate about Undyne, she hates snooping or interrupting someone during phone calls. So she didn't have to worry about her overhearing something she shouldn't. As Undyne stepped out for a little while, Alphys went on to do a quick call for her Genocide self.

 _Ringing..._

"H-Hello? Geno Alphys?"

 _"Hey. I see the two of you, and it looks like you didn't pass out yet. That's good. That's good progress. Now like I said, you shouldn't be rushing this too much. There's no need to go dive into the serious stuff until you two enjoyed yourselves."_

"Y-Yeah. I know. B-But I just called for you to do a f-favor for me..."

 _"Feed the Amalgamates. You don't need to worry about them, I got it covered. You just need to worry about you and your date. Now...I'm gonna hang up. And you're **not** going to call me back until you're done. I'm not gonna be a distraction for you."_

"W-Wait! Please don't go! I s-still feel incredibly anxious about this entire thing! I j-just thought you'd be able to help me through this..."

There was a small sigh on the other end of the line, which made her nervous for a couple moments. She thought she had simply placed the phone down and left, but she was immediately cut off:

 _"Look. I'm not gonna call you a wimp, because I used to be you. But disastrous circumstances forced me to toughen up. And like I said, I can't let you go through that too. So I'm gonna make this really, REALLY simple for you. And I want you to answer me honestly."_

"U-Um...okay..."

 _"You love her. There's a chance of love for you two, which is highly evident by that photo of my opposite self and Undyne. If she can do it, so can you. I've already lost my chance...and I have to live with that forever. But...there's no way I'm letting you end up like me. No joke, there are times when waiting for love ISN'T a bad idea. But in your case it's so well-prepared and so obvious that if I could, I'd scream for you to just grab it. You have the equipment, and you have the go-ahead. You have to take the risk! I can assure you, your patience and effort will be rewarded!"_

Alphys pondered her alternate self's words for a while. Of course there was still this tiny bit of doubt in her mind that kept murmuring that this was a bad idea...but she pushed that voice away before it's influence could grow stronger. "Y-You're right. I c-can't waste this chance!"

 _"Thatta girl! You've got this. You're prepared your dating kit, you look beautiful, and I've done pretty well as your replacement mission control so far for the boys as well as feeding the Amalgamates. Your only concern is that this date turns out to what you feel is completely satisfactory. Ya got that?"_

"I g-got it!"

 _"Great! Oh, and one more thing. If you do decide to tell her the truth...for the love of God, just let the girl believe that anime is real. Trust me. From what I've seen and heard, it isn't really that far off. Plus you'll both be happier from it. Alright signing off for real. Good luck, Alphys."_

 _Click..._

Alphys put her phone away as she turned to the side, gazing at her reflection in the water. She lightly grabbed the sides of her black and white polka dot dress and lifted it just slightly while turning side to side a little, watching it sway a little with her movement. She had to admit...she _does_ look rather cute in it. She thought she'd never get a chance to use it for anything, especially on a date with Undyne...a blush kept creeping up on her cheeks even though she's already accepted that it was happening. They were actually on a date, a genuine date. She guessed she just needed some time to let it fully sink in.

And now that she's actually allowed it to sink in, she can get around to actually having fun on it. Her Geno self has mission control well-handled. She herself can relax...well, as much as she can, anyway. So she let go with the sides of her dress, once again adjusted her glasses, and smiled.

"Alright. I c-can do this. I can do this!" Alphys reassured herself. She nodded to herself as she turned and rushed back to Undyne.

She could see her speaking happily with Napstablook, who was looking rather nervous yet still greatly enjoying her presence. Out of many of her neighbors, Undyne was the one who always acknowledges that he was also a part of the neighborhood. He tends to hide a lot from other monsters. When Undyne spotted Alphys heading her way, she bid Napstablook goodbye(while insisting that he wasn't at all the reason that she was leaving) and ran back to Alphys.

"H-Hey Undyne. I've finished my phone call, and now I'm fully ready!"

"Preparations completed huh? Alright!" Undyne pounded her right fist into her left palm, grinning widely. "Let's do this!"

"Y-Yeah...lets d-do this!"

 **[Dating Start!]**

"So, what do you wanna do first? I hard that Napstablook has a snail farm somewhere around his house, and right next to it, is a race course! And he calls it _Thundersnail!_ I had once thought that the snails can shoot thunderbolts..." Undyne pouted, her lips pursed to the side. "But...it turns out they can't really do that...that was a bit of a bummer." She then shook her head. "Whatever. It's still cool nonetheless! Because the snails can actually go fast when they want to be, which is totally unlike most snails, right?"

Alphys scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "Y-Yeah...that's right."

"Ha! I knew it!" Undyne grinned. "So whaddya say? Wanna give it a go? We can give our contribution for Napstablook. It's pretty cheap, only 10G."

"A-Alright. I guess we can give that a go."

Undyne and Alphys walked past Blook's Arch's and past his snail farm, until they approached the race track. Alphys made sure to leave 10G on the side for Napstablook to pick up later. Once that was taken care of, they turned to the track where a yellow, red, and blue snail were lined up and ready. From what they remember, they were in charge of encouraging the yellow snail to race as best as it could. Too little encouragement will make it think that it's not good enough. Too much encouragement will make it tip upside down...and set on fire. Neither of them knew why it does that, but Alphys had a feeling that it was a reference for something...Oh well.

The race started with a big rush, because Undyne couldn't help but encourage the snail as passionately as she could. In other words:

"COME ON, THUNDERSNAIL! ITS ALL ON YOU! YOU GOT THIS!"

As for Alphys, she had troubles of her own. She was the one offering too little encouragement and didn't exactly know what to say. In other words:

"U-Uh...u-um...d-do your very b-best...I g-guess..."

To their surprise, Undyne's passionate and fierce encouragement, alongside Alphys's nervous and lack of encouragement, balanced each other long enough for the yellow snail to to on an average speed, which was much faster than the other snails, and crossed the finish line first in record time.

"HELL YEAH! THUNDERSNAIL DID IT! WHICH MEANS WE WON!" Undyne cheered victoriously, jumping in the air a couple feet. When she landed, she immediately hugged Alphys with her eye closed. Alphys kept her cool as best she could, despite how much her face was hearing up. "That was awesome, Alphys! My fierce encouragement was in perfect sync with your timid encouragement, and it balanced him out!"

"U-Um...y-yeah! That was a-amazing!" Alphys stuttered, blushing brightly while adjusting her glasses again. She was then gently set down as Undyne placed her hands behind her neck. "S-So...If I remember vaguely...Napstablook would give us 9G back, right?"

"...Nah, screw it. Let him keep the 10G. He always told me that he needed the profit."

"S-Sure!"

They then moved on from the snail farm as they ventured onward through Waterfall..Undyne noticed a couple scorch marks still left over from where she and Toriel had a major...disagreement. "Ahah...good times." Despite the circumstances of the battle, it was one of the most eventful battles she's been in that actually got her blood pumping, and it wasn't Asgore. Yet it also proved that she couldn't defeat Asgore, _or_ his ex-wife.

So...yeah. Pride kinda wounded. Not by much, but still, it could use a band-aid or something.

"B-By the way, U-Undyne...what happened to your house? Are we n-not going there this time?" Alphys asked.

"Huh? Oh, no. My house is kinda on fire. It was do to my fierce cooking lesson with Queen Toriel, Frisk, and Sans. Oh, and that little flower guy that tags along with them."

Alphys was a bit surprised that Undyne's also seen the flower for herself. So maybe it was true. If he didn't pull anything while Undyne was around...maybe...she didn't know what to think about the flower right now. He took a complete opposite turn on the attitude scale and for the first time it wasn't fake. She didn't know what to think about that. She'd assume that she'll find answers later. But right now...

"E-Er...you set your house on fire...a-again...?"

"Okay, hear me out. Me and the Queen had...a disagreement. We tried to smooth things over by joining one another in my cooking lesson, since Papyrus wasn't around to take it. It was then that I've come to a startling realization."

"And what w-would that be?"

"Apparently I'm a shitty cook..." Undyne paused in comical deep thought...then she grinned. "Ah, but it doesn't matter! I managed to befriend the puny human, and smooth things oger with Queen Toriel. But not completely." She narrowed her eye a bit. "I can't fully forgive her for bailing out on the monsters when they needed her. Not until Asgore does."

"T-Thats understandable...and fair..."

"So, what else should we do? Oh and by the way, I suggest NOT going down to that Temmie-Village. The vibes I get...I don't know how or why, but I don't like it."

"O-Okay." Alphys nodded shyly. "M-Maybe we can h-head back? T-To the Dump?"

"Sure! But first I need to check in with Geezer Gerson. Ya see, during my...disagreement with Toriel, I got my armor a bit badly singed due to all the best and fire she kept blasting at me."

Alphys beamed a little as she reached behind in her bag, and pulled out something. Undyne's eyes widened as she took it out of her paws. "Armor-polisher?! This is actually gonna help him out really great! Wow, thanks Alphys!"

"N-No problem..." Alphys smiled, a blush returning to her cheeks. "A-And also...s-should we find o-ourselves a bit too close and personal w-with the sewer water...y-you can probably use this." She didn't want to rush things too rapidly, but she couldn't help herself. Alphys shook a little as she held out the container of waterproof cream for Undyne's scales. "A-And you don't have to worry if you happen to r-run out. It's quite easy for m-me to make more."

"Wow, cool! I do tend to take I dive once in a while...because that yellow kid keeps slipping into the water and unable to pull himself out." Undyne sighed. "I do really feel bad for him. I can't imagine living a life with no arms. I never had any idea how difficult life can be without arms. Watching over him...it does tell a lot about his spirit that he manages to remain cheerful. Not gonna lie, he impressed me with always staying bright about things. Like Papyrus." She rubbed her neck while looking to the side. "If anything, Papyrus seems to be a better suited role-model for him than me..."

"T-That doesn't mean you aren't super cool or anything!" Alphys suddenly blurted out without thinking, and immediately covered her mouth afterwards. Undyne looked at her with a bit of surprise, as well as a tint of redness on her cheeks. Alphys stared at the ground, a blush of her own covering her cheeks.

She's not as good at keeping her cool like her Genocide Self was.

Undyne looked away for a bit, turning towards the Dump. Neither of them have realized that they have made it there already. She managed to find a distraction. "Hey! Wanna see me target practice?!" She held her hand out, a blue spear manifesting quickly, and she made a well-placed toss towards her target...an already broken and useless TV. It pierced clean through, resulting in a couple sparks emitting off of it. If it wasn't useless before, it was definitelt useless now. "Fuhuhuhuhuhuhu! Direct hit!" Undyne cackled with victory.

"Y-Yeah. That was pretty precise." Alphys stuttered. She noticed that Undyne was moving forward to retrieve it. "Undyne?"

"Hold that thought, I gotta go get it." Undyne said as she effortlessly leapt upwards on the mountain of garbage, and pulled out the spear in question. Alphys then remembered. Undyne's telumkinesis, while extremely useful and fitting for her, wasn't perfected yet. Every spear she manifests takes quite a bit of her magic, and can leave her fatigued if she constantly does it without pause. It's why she tries to limit herself to just one to use in close combat. Though knowing Undyne, she tends to forget this from time to time. The spear she brought back looked a bit unstable from the use, and was about to dissipate.

Maybe...

"H-Here U-Undyne! Use this." Alphys pulled out her final item. A rather strange looking box with a spear on it. She knee that her Magical Spear-Repair kit would come in handy, but not for something like this. For casual target practice instead of actual battle. But she might have preferred it this way. It was only... _slightly_ less stressful. Enough for her to remain focused.

Undyne blinked with her one eye at the sight of the box. "Alphys, how much time did you spend making this for me?"

"I-It wasn't easy. I usually pick up one of the spears you leave behind and take them back to my lab, make an analysis of their magic composition, and made several attempts to extend the time limit for how long it can last until it dissipates, and how durable it can be." She rubbed her neck sheepishly. "It t-took me a couple times to get it right."

"Meaning you can make the spears last longer and be stronger? Awesome!" Undyne grinned widely at the prospect, thinking of the possibilities now being displayed before her. Alphys took the moment to once again admiring the brightness of her smile. She managed her own small smile, immensely glad that this was working out so well.

...then she remembered what else she had to do, and her smile immediately disappeared.

She wanted to put that off for has long as possible...perhaps even forget it entirely. The date is going so well...why ruin it with such a horrible subject, right? Maybe...maybe she could just _tell_ her other self that...

...

...

...

...No. That wasn't going to work. Not only would she probably figure it out anyway, but she'd also might find a way to do it herself. She was desperate to make sure Alphys's future was as bright as it can be. She did say that she knew this would be difficult for her to do, but it would be to everyone's benefit that she came clean. It disturbed Alphys to see her counterpart fully comfortable and completely unbothered with the possibility of her own death, now that her version of Undyne was gone. But she had enough willpower to do everything she could in order to keep her counterpart from going down that path, and she would be at least partly happy with that.

Alphys backing out of telling the truth would be a major offense to that powerful dedication.

Besides...she was getting tired of lying. And she herself didn't know how long she'd be able to keep such a big secret until she completely breaks under the guilt and did something drastic without anyone's knowledge. She's surprised that her counterpart was still hanging onto life, with the hell she's endured. And like she said, she didn't want that happening to her.

She can't waste this chance. They were alone, the opportunity presented itself, and she's in the presence of someone she trusts deeply.

 _O-Oh my God, this is going to be hard...b-but...I HAVE to do it..._

"U-Undyne..."

"Yeah, Alphys?"

"T-There's something I have to tell you about me..." She began, as she stared at the ground, her glasses flashing white. "Something I should have never put off in the first place..."

"...What's wrong?" Undyne's grin faded, and she suddenly knelt down to Alphys's level, her eye completely focused on her. Alphys was somewhat strengthened by the way Undyne was instantly prepared to listen to her despite her happiness moments ago.

Alphys took a deep breath. She was beyond the point of no return now. "I've been...lying to you. Lying to almost everyone...about something I really shouldn't have..."

"Lying about what?"

With this, Alphys began to spiel the contents of her many secrets to Undyne. Most were just about herself, scenarios like yogurt, waiting ramen noodles in her PJ's, about being busy sometimes when really she was just lying in bed eating aforementioned noodles. Though like her counterpart suggested, she didn't say a thing about the history books and shows being just manga and anime. She must have known that Undyne was far too deep into them to think otherwise, and would be crushed if told so.

Then...she began with the important things. About how she was chosen by Asgore to run a very important experiment regarding the human souls, extracting their **DETERMINATION,** and how she injected it into monsters brought before her that have 'fallen down' with possibly no hope for recovery. Her hypothesis involved being able to retrieve their souls after they turned to dust. Instead, they were revived, much to her shock and slight displeasure, but at least they would be able to return to their families. That's what she thought...

The somewhat happy result didn't last long, much to her horror. The monsters couldn't handle the amount of **DETERMINATION** she injected into their bodies. Their bodies lost their physicality, and they melted together to form horrifying abominations: Amalgamates. Some of them still had their traces of love and compassion, and remained somewhat cheerful, like Endogeny. Others like Lemon Bread were far less forgiving, and bitter of their fate, even tried to kill her initially, though Endogeny would come to her protection. The shame and despair she felt from this utterly failed experiment kept her from telling anyone about it out of fear of their reaction. Not Asgore, not the families she's been ignoring. Not anyone. She's kept them in her basement, the True Lab, ever since.

She noticed that during the entire time she talked, Undyne hasn't said a word, nor has she done anything that might even remotely resemble an interruption. She was completely silent, being very attentive to the story, listening carefully to every detail that Alphys explained to her. The only sound that can be heard from the fish warrior was her own breathing, nothing else. Just like when they first met, her undivided attention was saved for Alphys.

When she finally finished, Undyne's face was unreadable. To Alphys, that was much more worrying than simply looking angry, because she didn't know what to expect from her. Anger? Disgust? Disappointment?

...Hate?

Despite the reassurance her counterpart gave her, she couldn't erase the fear of Undyne possibly hating her for what she's done. She wouldn't blame her. She hasn't even stopped blaming herself for failing so miserably in something that could have given the monsters hope for freedom.

"...that's why you don't let me go to the basement when I visit. You keep them down there. Those Amalgamate things." Undyne said quietly. Most of her face was overshadowed by her long crimson hair, giving even less hints to Alphys about her current mood.

Alphys's deep, terrible fear of Undyne's reaction made her fail to notice that she started crying.

"U-Undyne...I-I can't blame you for h-hating me...I can't even s-stop hating myself for all of this." Alphys stuttered. "T-This was something that Asgore was c-counting on me for. A-And I f-failed miserably. I t-took so many risks, n-never counted on s-so many unknown variables, I became f-far too eager...a-and I ended up with nothing. N-Nothing but the constant r-reminder that despite everything I've t-tried, I wasn't able to gain one p-positive out of the entire thing. The experiment w-went to it's worst-case scenario and b-beyond, and there's no w-way I can undo it!"

The droplets of tears now turned into streams, and she was lightly choking and hicupping from her crying. She felt so weak in front of Undyne right now. She can't even keep herself from breaking down in front of her, not after explaining her failures and fears. "H-How am I supposed to tell everyone what I've done?! H-How I've ruined t-their families? How I-I've promised t-them the t-truth, something that I-I'm too afraid to give?! I c-cant even keep myself s-standing after t-telling someone I could trust the m-most...t-there's no way I'll be able to do this in front of just about e-everyone else...t-they'll h-hate me...t-they'll n-never forgive me...t-they'll-!"

Alphys was cut off by Undyne breaking out of her stone-still posture to wrap her arms around Alphys and pull her to her chest in a very close hug. Her eyes widened considerably at how poorly prepared she was for the sudden hug, and how Undyne went about it. She lifted her head slightly so she could meet her eye, still looking surprised. "U-Undyne...?"

"Alphys...I'm gonna be straight with you. You're making _me_ feel like a useless pile of trash." Undyne stated softly while looking at her with a pained expression. "I can't stand seeing you so miserable, Alphys. I outright _hate it_. Even if I can't understand most of this stuff myself, I still feel like I should have helped you out more, helped you deal with this crap instead of ignorantly watching you keep it all inside...I really want to help you, Alphys."

Alphys shook her head as much as she could. "B-B-But you h-have been helping, though! J-Just by being t-there for me. For b-being kind to me when I feel like I don't d-deserve it. D-Defending me and b-beating down whoever bothers me. A-Always finding the time to h-hang out with m-me. Y-You're just so...j-just s-so..."

"That's enough, Alphys. Talk anymore and you'll pass out. Plus you're stuttering much more than usual and I can't understand you at the moment." Undyne said gently, rubbing her back in a soothing circle. "So while you're catching tour breath...go ahead and cry. I can tell you've been holding back a lot more tears than this. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, so you have plenty of time to just let it out, ya know?" She said with her toothy smile. "You can't get rid of me _that_ easily. There's nothing you can do or say that will ever make me hate you. So you can just throw that fear away, alright?'

Alphys's eyes grew ever wider at Undyne's declaration. She felt her heart grow for her even more than ever. This time, Alphys's tears returned without restraint. She removed her glasses, wrapped her arms around Undyne while closing her eyes, and buried her head into her chest, muffling her sobbing. Undyne didn't mind at all. She just managed a small but loving smile as she pulled her closer, allowing her to cry into her breasts.

Alphys's tears were let out after such a long time of holding back her fear, her guilt, her shame, and her self-hatred. All of it built up behind her wall of lies and her sometimes fake smile. But most of her tears came from the sheer, utter _relief_ she felt due to knowing that the first person she told the full truth to was still on her side.

Her soul literally jumped with hope and joy when she felt Undyne plant a kiss on top of her head to comfort her further. With just that seemingly small, added gesture, she was fully reassured by both the photo of Pacifist Alphys, and the words of Genocide Alphys.

Undyne _does_ love her back. And currently, that was enough to raise her spirits to super high levels. Although they probably won't be able to act on it now. But she can wait, just a little longer.

Now it was time for her to do her part in avoiding the bad future that Geno Alphys warned her about.

She finally pulled back, sniffling a little and wiping the remains of her tears away. "...Undyne...I'm ready now."

Undyne smiled. "Yeah? Ready for what? Whatever it is, I've got your back!"

Alphys cleaned her glasses a bit with her dress, and put them back on, and they flashed to signify her newfound confidence.

"It's time I let everyone know the truth."

 **(Hotlands)**

 _Ringing..._

Sans was slightly surprised when he received a call from Geno Alphys. But he didn't miss a beat. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, answering it. "yo. you have reached skelebro hotlines, sans the skeleton speaking."

"Are you serious?" Flowey deadpanned.

"heh."

 _"Hey boys. I was monitoring you and noticing how great a job you were doing. And I was also having a camera monitoring Alphys's date with Undyne...it's a success!"_

"really? good for them. did alphys come clean?"

 _"She hesitated a bit at first, but she ultimately went through with it. She was breaking down crying and Undyne went and comforted her with a close and personal hug, and just letting her cry in her chest for a while. Then I saw her kiss her head...holy shit, Sans. It was so freaking adorable. I couldn't handle it. It was SO. FREAKING. ADORABLE! And they're about to reveal the truth of the **DETERMINATION** experiments, and Undyne is gonna be by her side when it happens! She'll definitely appreciate that!"_

"heh. good for them. say...not to be rude...but i thought you woulda been a lot sadder than this, ya know? with the whole...ya know."

 _"I managed to ensure that this Alphys and Undyne definitely get together. That's enough to make me happy, because it completes my personal goal. Now I don't have to worry about them, and can completely focus on preventing this timeline from being erased by Chara."_

"hey, that's really cool of you to say. gotta give you props for that."

 _"Damn right you should. Just kidding, I'm not in it for props. Anyway, you better watch out ahead of you. Troubles coming, and it has five eyes, eight limbs, and is adorable in her own kinda creepy way."_

Frisk shyly tells Geno Alphys that as twisted as Muffet can be sometimes, she certainly isn't a bad person. Hearing this made her calm down, and sigh.

 _"You're right Frisk. She's not an evil nutcase, just...a sorta messed up but still kinda decent nutcase. Still, be careful when you're dealing with her. You too, Asriel. Her spiders can sense when something's off. Make sure your disguise is intact."_

"Yes ma'am!"

 _"Good. Geno Alphys, out."_

 _Click..._

"alrighty then. looks like we'll be having some trouble up ahead, boys." Sans said while pocketing his phone. Since Sans was still mostly lazy about the whole puzzles thing, he used various shortcuts to get the group around a couple times.

"Can you ease up on the shortcuts?" Flowey said dizzily, holding a leaf to his head. "I think I might be getting nauseous...and I don't wanna find out what I might bring up..."

"alright alright, i'll give it a small rest." Sans chuckled as the quartet made their way through a room. It was then that Sans remembered something important. "kid...did you ever buy a spider donut?" Frisk shook his head. Flowey's eyes began to narrow in slight panic.

"H-How about a Spider Cider?" Frisk shook his head again. "Oh man...and we just passed her bakery. Not that it'll do any good since they're ridiculously overpriced...maybe we can go back and just take-" A large spider suddenly leapt out of the shadows and grabbed the flower's pot in it's jaws, then leapt off again into the darkness. "What the hell?! Smiley Trashbag, do soooooommeeeeethiiiiiinnnnnng!"

Sans was about to raise his hand, but a spiral of webs wrapped around Sans from above, and restrained his limbs to his sides. The webs, to his genuine surprise, glowed purple, and cut him off from using his magic. His grin didn't disappear, but he acknowledged that Muffet was a _lot_ smarter than she appeared. Remove the more threatening figures out of the confrontation. "clever girl..." He was then raised up by yet another spider, also disappearing into the darkness.

"SANS! FLOWEY!" Asriel shouted from behind his mask. They received no response...Asriel fidgeted with his leaf mask while Frisk continued to look around for Muffet cautiously. In his excitement to leave the Ruins with Toriel, it completely slipped his mind that he could have bought either a Spider Donut or Spider Cider to appease Muffet, so they wouldn't have to fight. Apparently none of them can prepare for everything.

"Ahuhuhuhuhu~"

Asriel shivered from the cheerful yet chilling giggle echoing throughout the room. As Flowey, every time he heard it, it never bothered him. But he wasn't Flowey anymore...

"My my, what do we have here?~" Frisk noticed how different the dialogue was. He wondered what this might mean. "The human has made it all the way here...and just like they said, he looks absolutely adorable!"

"S-She didn't say this when she confronting you, did she?" Asriel asked quietly. Frisk shook his head in denial.

"My little friends have been keeping a close eye on you...well, as much as they could, anyway. Of course we couldn't gather much after you stepped out of the Ruins and into Snowdin. Poor babies can't survive the cold too long. I was worried that I'd never get the chance to meet you~" Frisk looked around, wondering where she might be. "My curiosity is peaked on the two of you. My spiders have quite a strange reaction to you. Frisk, is it? My spiders say that they think they've seen you before, but have no memory of it. This is the first time we've seen you. Peculiar. And your friend, also in a striped shirt...is even more interesting. What's your name, dearie?~"

"L-Leafy the Leaf Ninja..." Asriel shivered, adjusting his leaf scarf.

"My spiders near this area...they reacted very strangely to you. When you passed by...they instinctively bowed to you for a couple moments before going on their merry way. I wonder why that is?~" Asriel's eyes widened. He never noticed that while passing through the door. A couple spiders kneeled before him while he was passing them. He honestly thought they were ducking for cover from something. They didn't sense his royal blood...did they? "I'm far too curious to let this go now~"

"What's that supposed to mean?" 'Leafy' was cautious, raising an eyebrow behind his leaf mask. Before they heard a loud series of steps that echoed around the room once again. Both he and Frisk looked up to see that it was Muffet's largest spider and her personal pet. A really, really strange mixture of a muffin and a spider.

Asriel won't be having a positive outlook on muffins for a while.

"My pet, when I'm not giving him commands, is a surprisingly good judge of character. He'll tell me what I need to know. Either he'll think you're nice and let you pass...or he'll gobble you up like the little morsels you are. Fun, right? Ahuhuhuhu~"

"Not really, no." 'Leafy' said nervously. They really should have remembered to buy the spider goods. Frisk looked ready to begin dodging at a moments notice. The large muffin spider was staring at them with a twisted sense of curiosity and hunger. None of them moved for a good while...

...until it roared and leapt right at Frisk with it's fangs bared.

Asriel didn't know how it happened. It's as if at the very moment, a powerful impulse within him shouted at him to protect Frisk and render everything else a secondary concern. He didn't know if it was a good impulse or not, but he surely acted on it. He rushed for Frisk, just as the giant spider was about to bite at him, and he jumped upwards at an amazing height, with an arm wrapped around him. The muffin spider looked surprised, before it crashed face-first into the ground.

Asriel was just as surprised, as he tried to comprehend how he was able to do this. He didn't have much time, as a flurry of smaller spiders flew at him with their purple glowing webs. His magic would be sapped if they managed to get a hold on him, so he continued to avoid the spiders webs more amazingly than he expected. A series of backflips across the room, a small frontflip to avoid the giant muffin spiders second charge, and he slid under while jumping forward to narrowly dodge a web trap ready for him. _What the golly? I was never able to move like this before!_ He thought to himself as he pawed his chest where the borrowed soul lies. _Did I get Genocide Frisk's reflexes, too? I imagine fighting Sans gave him plenty of practice when it comes to dodging..._ His eyes widened as one of the webs caught onto Frisk's back, and pulled him out of his grasp.

"Oh no!" Asriel moved, but he was also restrained by two spiders waiting web lines over his arms and pulling him back. He could feel his magic being cut off as he tried to struggle, though his legs were also covered by webs in a manner of moments.

Frisk was thrown into a web and gotten stuck. He struggled as much as he could...but nothing happened. Muffet casually walks along a line of web, approaching him as his soul was now visible.

"Hm...I guess there's nothing special about the two of you after all. Oh well." Muffet said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Oh well~At the very least...you'll make a very delicious cake! Ahuhuhuhu~Your soul is going to make every spider _very_ happy!~"

Asriel's impulse struck again, even stronger than last time. Frisk was in danger, and was very close to being fed to Muffet's pet. They were at a very serious risk. If Frisk was forced to LOAD, it might only make Chara's progression faster by giving him a beacon to follow and speed to, and that was something they did NOT want. Asriel made a vow to protect Frisk at any cost, and he was NOT going to break it! He was filled with **DETERMINATION.**

Imagine the shock on Sans and Flowey's faces when they witnessed and sensed what happened next.

Asriel's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the sclera of them became black. After this, he shut his eyes shut and he howled, fangs bared:

 **"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"**

With his outburst, a sudden wave of magic flooded the entire room, very closely distorting the color of it to a very light but very noticeable grey hue. Everyone inside except for Asriel himself felt pressured by the mysterious force that assaulted their being. Just as quickly as it began, it ended after a couple seconds. Asriel lowered his head, looking visibly exhausted as his eyes turned back to normal. The spiders were staring at him in shock. Luckily he still had his leaf mask on and they still thought he was 'Leafy', but they were now fully convinced he was no ordinary monster.

So much, that the spiders around him immediately began to undo the webs restraining him, then they stepped back a bit and bowed. Spiders also brought the equally surprised Sans and Flowey down from the ceiling where they were hung, and undid the webs restraining them as well. Muffet was the one most shocked, her five eyes widened and she was frozen for a couple moments. Even her large pet whimpered fearfully and bowed before the one known as 'Leafy'. After regaining her senses, she shook her head and it hung slightly.

"My goodness...you really care about your friend, don't you dearie?" Muffet said softly as she gently began to lower Frisk onto the ground and undid the webs on him. "Your very presence was enough to scare my spiders and throw me for quite a mind loop. And my spiders know danger when they see it, and the best thing to do is not provoke it further. So I guess I'll spare the human and let you all be on your way..." She said with her head hanging. "...But not before I smooch him for being simply adorable~㈏0" She hugged Frisk with her six arms and kissed his cheek cheerfully, before shooing him away. "Off you go, dearie! You're always welcome at my parlor! I'll find a way to make it up to you. Spider's Vow. Ahuhuhuhuhu~" She grabbed onto a nearby web, waved goodbye, and was carried upward, her giggle still echoing around the room.

"Frisk! Are you okay?!" Asriel ran up to Frisk to see if he was unharmed. Frisk confirmed that he was not, and he sighed in relief. "Thank goodness..."

Sans and Flowey were still eying Asriel carefully, as they were trying to get a handle on what just happened. "Smiley Trashbag...did you...?"

"yeah. i saw. and i sensed it. asriel...i don't think he knows for sure what he just did." Sans answers with a shrug. "seeing frisk in very serious danger...he must have acted out on instinct. then almost every monster spider in the room completely submitted to him without really knowing why. they just sensed that he was someone they shouldn't piss off."

"A monster with a human soul...a horrifying beast with unfathomable power." Flowey repeated the lines from one of the plaques back in Waterfall. "That explained his hesitation in absorbing Genocide Frisk's soul. Though with the immense consequences of not having the power to deal with Chara, and his will to protect this Frisk...here is where it leads."

"yeah. it might get really ugly if asriel is actually forced to instigate a fight...no matter how much he doesn't want to." Sans walked up to Asriel and Frisk, patting them both on their shoulders. "yo, kiddos. you, uh, ready to keep movin'?"

Frisk nodded readily. While Asriel rubbed his neck and smiled. "I guess we can. It won't go too badly, I hope. But Sans..mdont you think Mettaton will be angry at you for helping us skip some of his scenes entirely?"

"yep." Sans stated with his grin widening, while Flowey rolled his eyes. "alright. let's go." Sans said as he walked with them, entering another shortcut and warping around most of the puzzles and a couple scenes that Mettaton had in store. Sans skips them to troll with his show. But he couldn't keep it up forever.

To his surprise, they have arrived at the CORE...where Mettaton lies in wait for them. "WELL WELL...I KNEW YOU'D BE HERE IN A RATHER QUICK PACE, DARLINGS. NOW WE CAN FINALLY GET DOWN TO BUSINESS."

"huh. must have gotten tired of all of our shortcut taking." Sans guessed. "yo, metta. uh...is that a conveniently placed mirror behind you?"

"A MIRROR? WHERE? I HAVE TO LOOK SPECTACULAR FOR OUR GRAND FINALE!" Mettaton exclaimed as he turned around. Sans' eye flickered cyan, and the robot's switch was suddenly shifted to the other side. Pausing for a bit, the robot turned around. "CLEVER...VERY CLEVER. WHICH ONE OF YOU DID THAT...?"

"him." Sans lazily stuck his thumb at Flowey, who gasped and snarled from the accusation.

"YOU LYING SACK OF TRASHY POTATOES!"

'Leafy' blinked at that sort of insult towards Sans, confused. "...what...?"

The area was suddenly filled with fumes after Mettaton seemed to emit a large amount of it. Lights begin to fill the area, as well as a silhouette standing behind all of the smoke.

"OHHHHH YEEESSS!"

"Oh please no..." Flowey groaned.

"Oooohhh myyy...if you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing...you're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude...lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time." _heh._ "So...human...as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments..." The lights flash onto the subject...enter Mettaton EX. "ABSOLUTELY beautiful!"

A ratings graph appeared out of nowhere, and music began to play.

Frisk clapped happily, 'Leafy' tilted his head in confusion, Flowey cringed, while Sans sweatdropped. _paps...i REALLY don't get your admiration of this guy sometimes..._

 _Ringing..._

 _"Wow...it's been a long time since I've seen Mettaton like this. Hehe...now I remember why I always got so sweaty when drawing out his blueprints."_ Sans could hear Geno Alphys fidget a bit with her claws. _"I made him look...pretty good, huh?"_

"you're not having a nosebleed from the sight, are you?"

The sound of a tissue plugging up noses followed after this. _"I don't know what you're talking about. Now hurry up and out-pose him! You're almost there!"_

 _Click..._

"huh. so it's a posin' contest." Sans muttered as he pocketed his phone again. "alright frisk. 'leafy'. weed. we're gonna have to out-pose the poser."

'Leafy' nodded and turned to Frisk. "Let's do it, Frisk!"

"No. Freaking. Way." Flowey grumbled. Then he yelped loudly when he was 'accidentally' kicked onto the dance floor, still stuck in his pot. He landed in the center, spinning rapidly from the momentum, before he stopped moving completely, his eyes now comical swirls from the constant spinning. The ratings went up from the unintentional pose.

Frisk also struck a pose, raising the views ever higher. 'Leafy' smiled behind his mask, and also did a pose while on his legs, further increasing the ratings.

"Not bad, darlings. My turn!~" Mettaton jumped into action, a series of leg attacks looking more like dance moves. Frisk and 'Leafy' managed to dodge most of them, due to their excellent reflexes, especially the letter's. One managed to graze 'Leafy's' cheek, but he never lost his balance.

Sans stepped up, looking confident. "what does the audience think of this? this skeleton ain't gonna get hit, not even once."

"Excellent integrity and confidence, Sans! You're really getting into the spirit of this!" A disco ball began to appear from the ceiling, and began do fire lasers at him. Frisk grew worried because Sans had only one HP, and if he messed up...

But then he was proved wrong about worrying. Sans sidestepped the lasers without effort. He made it look like a shuffling of sorts, from left to right constantly. Mettaton them leapt and sent a magical kick his way, still looking more like dance. Sans smirked and simply bent backwards, dodging the kick effortlessly. The robot's soul then exited for a bit and began shooting lighting bolts. Sans sprung back up...and began to _moonwalk,_ dodging every bolt simply by moving backwards in one direction to another. His eyes were closed and his head was casually bobbing to the music, just a bit. And he did this while in _pink s_ _lippers_. The audience cheered loudly due to Sans and his casual coolness, and the ratings skyrocketed.

"Who's the _real_ show off...?" Flowey rolled his eyes. He gasped as he reallyed he was being targeted next. Lasers emitted from the disco ball again, and he was forced to use his vines to move himself along in his pots. "Hey! Watch it!" He pushed the ground too hard, and he ended up flying in the air. He panicked, but he didn't wish to call for help. Luckily, Frisk and 'Leafy' worked together to catch him at once, both their palms under the bottom of the pot. He landed perfectly, and the crowd cheered aloud for Flowey, and the ratings rose further. He blinked a bit...and blushed, hiding his face with his petals. "Gah...I d-don't need your praise, you idiots..." The ratings went up a bit more because of how adorable he was, which he rejected in vain.

Then they we're thrown an essay question...what did they like best about Mettaton? Frisk quickly wrote that he looked amazing. 'Leafy' wrote that he's very proud of Mettaton for serving as a star for all the monsters. Flowey wrote...that he provided some decent form of entertainment.

Sans actually wrote that he personally wasn't that into Mettaton's show. But he added that the show does make his little brother Papyrus really happy any day he might be feeling down, and he genuinely thanks him for that. The audience sent a flurry of 'Awwwww's' at this, and the ratings skyrocket once again.

Soon enough, it became clear that Mettaton was being worn down. To Frisk's and Sans' notice, none of his limbs fell off. Maybe he was just stronger this time...or Geno Alphys had a hand in it. Either way, their continued resistance was getting to him, and he shook his head. "Enough of this! Do you really want humanity to perish?!...or do you just really believe in yourself that much?"

"He does. And so do I." 'Leafy said suddenly. "Me and Frisk will be the ones to protect both humanity _and_ monsters! We have the goal, the power, and the resolve. It may sound naive, but it's true!" 'Leafy said aloud. Then his voice softened, as well as his posture. "Mettaton...let us worry about us. For now...you need to worry about someone else. Napstablook."

This definitely caused the robot to listen attentively. "You...you met Blooky...?"

"While we were making our way through Waterfall, yes. He's hour cousin, Mettaton. You two are family, and families should stick together. You being gone for such a long time to pursue your dreams made him very proud of you, but it also made him very sad. He really... _really_ misses you, Mettaton. Whenever you have the free time...you should go visit him. I'm sure he'll really appreciate it." 'Leafy' smiled. "Surely your fans would allow the star of the Underground to take a small hiatus so he can spend genuine, quality time with his family. Right?"

Mettaton stared at the ground in deep thought. Then he raised his head. "That's right. The Underground will always have it's Fabulous Star! But...sometimes a star needs to step out of the spotlight for a while. Wait for the second season, that sort of thing." Mettaton turned towards Frisk. "I see then...Frisk, right? Maybe you'll be able to protect humanity while keeping them in line with us monsters. I think it's a rather risky...but a risk worth taking."

"'cause ya can't spell 'frisk' without 'risk'." Sans and Frisk high-fived immediately. Mettaton chuckled as he stood on his long legs, stumbling just slightly.

"Asgore will be waiting for you. I just hope that your resolve will be strong enough to sake his. Good luck. As for me...I'M COMING, BLOOKY!" Mettaton bolted out of the room, leaving the occupants behind. 'Leafy's' smile suddenly disappeared, replaced by a sad frown. This didn't go unnoticed.

"kid? why the long face?"

"...we're heading back. Back to the Capitol, where New Home is. Where...Dad is...all alone..." Asriel's head sunk lower, and he began progressing onward without the others. They shook their heads to regain focus before racing to catch up with them.

Frisk could sense the enormous amount of guilt amd self-blame resonating off of Asriel at the mention of returning to this part of the Underground. He is filled...with concern. Then he remembered why.

The monsters despair. The six children that died by their hands. The shattering of the Dreemurr Family. Chara becoming a twisted being of demonic power. His own actions as Flowey. Sans' constant existional crisis. And worst of all: Dragging Frisk into it all, which forced the child to try to fix it as much as he can, while always being hunted down by many different monsters. Asriel intensely believed that all of it was his own fault. Frisk may have forgiven him...he may have said he no longer regrets his decision...

...but he's never said that he's forgiven _himself._

* * *

 **Asriel will be playing the blame game...and he's directing it on himself. Poor goat-bro...**

 **Next chapter is the last chapter of the arc...and after that...things start to get _really_ hectic really fast. And you might know why.**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...The Angel Of Death approaches ever closer...**


	15. Asriel's Heart

**Me: I might have made a bad call with this one, but I feel content with it.**

 **Asriel: I don't have problems with it...*sniff*...**

 **Me: *Pats his back* Its okay, Goat-Bro. This chapter is significant in more ways than one. You're the primary focus for a reason. Believe when I say this was tough for me to write. It's important nonetheless...okay?**

 **Asriel: *Nods* Okay.**

 **Asriel's guilt hits him hard in this one. Whether it's justified or not...might be questionable.**

 **Let's get to it!**

* * *

 **(New Home)**

 **[Play Music: Undertale]**

The walk into the Capitol was painfully silent. Ever since it came to Asriel's mind that they would be hearing back to his original home, he hasn't said a word. Frisk knew very well how personal this was for him, as well as Flowey. Sans wasn't quite in the loop like they were, but was able to tell that the mood had absolutely no room for cracking jokes. So he too, stays silent. And he was right to do so.

Asriel was moving through the path he walks, his head hanging over and his drooping ears providing shadows on both sides of his face. He's been very lost in his thoughts, thoughts that related to his actions, and how deep an effect they upon the ones he's left behind and the ones Frisk managed to befriend. The regrets for his actions of stopping a war were no longer in his head...but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty. The entire situation could have been avoided altogether had he done something differently; at least that's what he thinks. But back then, there was no LOADING or SAVING. Nor a RESET. Unfortunately neither he or anyone else could RESET that far. Everything from him being reincarnated as a flower and before, they couldn't be undone.

So this was what the Underground, and the world itself, had to deal with. He has to acknowledge the fact that many things that happened was heavy on his conscious, because he was responsible for most of them. Because of what he did, and what he _didn't_ do.

It didn't help...no, it only made him feel _worse_ , that he hears the story of himself and Chara repeated to him. Luckily the monsters encountered didn't recognize Frisk as a human and didn't attack him. But still, this was just as bad.

First, they traveled far enough that they approached the Dreemurr family's old house, which like the rest of the house, has no color. Just a dull shade of grey, black, and white. A brief distraction was made:

 _Ringing..._

 _"You got past Mettaton alright. Very good. Now if nothing else goes wrong, you can head to Asgore and-"_

"hey, uh...geno alph. the kid's standing in front of his old home right now. tryin' to, uh...keep the silence." Sans said while staring at Asriel's back as he walked into the house. Frisk followed him, carrying Flowey in his arms. "this is...a pretty big deal for him. hasn't been in the house in a long time, not as himself. but now..."

Silence on the other line. _"...Oh. I...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to...*deep tired sigh* I'll leave you boys alone for now."_

 _Click..._

Asriel walked through the door through his house, with Frisk by his side and Flowey in his pot. He's still silent as he makes his way down one of the hallways. The only thing that still had any color was the golden flowers that filled a couple of vases around them. And there was the rocking chair that his mother used to sit in. The table where he and Chara would eat Toriel's pie while trying to draw pictures of somewhat silly things like Asgore hopping around like a bunny, because at one point Chara thought they were bunny-like monsters instead of goat-like monsters.

Asriel laughed very softly at the memory.

After a couple moments, they were passed by Froggits. And then it began: " _A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by it's fall, the human called out for help."_

Then a pair of Whimsums flew by and also continued it: _"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call. He brought the human back to the castle."_

Asriel's face became noticeably gloomier as his mind recalled these memories. Frisk looked on in worry, as the Prince continued to lead him through the abandoned house.

He opened a door to the side, and entered quietly. Like Frisk remembered, two presents lie inside of the room. One would hold the Worn Dagger, which was very great for cutting plants and vines...Flowey tensed up a little. The other one would have a heart shaped locket inside...the Heart Locket. He didn't even think about it. Asriel takes the locket out of the box, and opens it:

Asriel and Chara were holding hands. The former was on the right, while the former was on the left. The inscription below them was exactly what he expected.

 _"Best Friends Forever."_

Asriel's face pained greatly at these words. But nonetheless, he closed the locket and placed it over his head until it hung around his neck.

His head turned over to a picture frame. Walking over to it and picking it up, he saw it was a family photograph. Both Asgore and Toriel had their arms lovingly wrapped around their two children. Asriel's face was the happiest, his eyes closed and fangs baring a little due to how wide his smile was...he was adorable. Chara was right next to him, his eyes just gazing forward, seemingly emotionless. But Asriel saw a small smile gracing his lips, and he remembered why this picture was so important to him...it was the first time they were able to get him to truly, genuinely smile in happiness.

A trio of Moldsmal's passed them by. _"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The Underground was full of hope."_

Hope.

The Royal Family taking in Chara and treating him as if he were always part of the family...Asriel surely thought and hoped that this would make him let go of his hatred of humans, and just focus on being happy with him and his parents.

It looks like they didn't do a good enough job. Asriel felt like a failure because of this. How much of this could have been avoided if he had put more effort into making Chara happy with what he had, and convince him not to hold onto his grudge? There was no use in wondering about it now, the damage was long since done.

Frisk wandered into another room, Toriel and Asgore's old room. The first thing he saw was the trophy. 'Number 1 Nose-Nuzzle Champs '98!' The thought of the royal pair being so adorable filled Frisk with **DETERMINATION** to help repair their relationship.

Asriel caught sight of something pink in the drawers. A pink, hand-knit sweater that says 'Mr. Dad Guy'. Asriel remembered helping Toriel sew this up and give to him for Father's Day. The big fluffy giant burst into happy tears when he received it as a present. And the other present he got, a flower made entirely of macaroni. 'For King Dad!'

Asriel failed to notice that his vision was beginning to blur a little. How long and how badly has his father suffered, being surrounded by these memories of a bright and happy family...and living with the reality that it's just that. Memories of the past And that the reality of the present is that his family is gone with no chance of ever being the same.

As he thought this, a pair of Misgosp walk by Sans. Asriel's head lowered further. This is when it gets harder for him to listen. _"Then...one day...the human became very ill."_ Because Chara had convinced Asriel to feed him buttercups...fully aware of how gruesome the after affects are if he does.

A trio of vegetoids roll by Frisk. _"The sick human had only one request. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do."_

Asriel's heart clenched at this memory. How he remembered crying face first into Chara's chest as he lied on the bed, slowly and inevitably dying. How he wasn't fully aware of the full ramifications of their plot yet. No one could take Chara to see the flowers because they couldn't get past the Barrier. They felt powerless and utterly helpless as the child was dying and they couldn't fulfill his final request.

A pair of Loox were just staring aimlessly as they were passed by. _"The next day...the next day...the human died."_ And it officially made that day the absolute worst in Asriel's life...and it only got worse from there.

They exited Asgore's home quietly and made their way down the path. Sans was completely silent, taking this all in. He's always heard fragments of this story from the numerous timeliness he's walked on...but this would be the first time he'd remember hearing it all at once. As such, he was paying close attention.

Snowdrakes flew by them, leaving behind a trail of snow. _"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's SOUL. He transformed into a being with incredible power."_ The prince immediately pawed at his chest as Genocide Frisk's soul glowed slightly from the contact. Once again, he has gotten an incredible amount of power...but how will things end this time?

A trio of Ice Caps walked by, though slightly wobbly due to the weight of their hats. _"With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier. He carried the human's body into the sunset. Back to the village of the humans."_

Carrying the corpse of his sibling and closest friend was the most heartrending thing Asriel has ever done, whether it was planned or not. A trio of Woshua's went by, spilling a bit of water but cleaning it up afterwards. _"Asriel reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers. He carried the human onto it."_

Shyrens were passed by. On instinct, they were also emitting a sad and solemn humming sound when they passed them. _"Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body. They thought they had killed the child."_

Dummies were standing idly by, but still managed to speak clearly. _"The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow. Asriel had the power to destroy them all."_

Knight Knight and Magick stood by, merely observing the group pass by. _"But...Asriel did not fight back. Clutching the human...Asriel smiled, and walked away."_

Sans rose an eye in deep shock and surprise. Asriel's death was not clean. He was being savagely and brutally beaten to death by the humans attacking him...and despite having the power to wipe them out to get them to stop, he just took it all with a smile and moved on. This part...he was not familiar with. He had more restraint than he gave him credit for. Because retaliation would have resulted in a second war. More brutal and destructive than the last.

Final Froggits hopped over Frisk. _"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed. His dust spread across the garden."_

Whimsalots flew by Flowey, who merely glared at them in annoyance. _"The Kingdom fell into despair. The kind and queen had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us."_

Frisk grew worried for Asriel at this point. The entire story of himself and Chara was being retold right in front of him, the emotional damage building up and the guilt becoming heavier and heavier...and none of the monsters were aware of it.

Astigmatisms stared ominously into the city. _"The King decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."_

There was no longer a pattern. Various monsters just started appearing on the path, and they continued with the story while they tried to pass them. _"It's not long now. King Asgore will let us go. King Asgore will give us hope. King Asgore will save us all. You should be smiling, too. Aren't you excited? Aren't you happy?"_

 _..._

 _..._

 _..._

 _You're going to be free._

 **[Music Ends]**

There was not a single sound after the story ended. All the monsters disappeared into the city without another word. Asriel's face was unreadable at this point, and Frisk's concerns only grew. Flowey resisted the urge to break the silence with something rude, because he had a pretty strong feeling that Sans would vaporize him on the spot if he were to do such a thing.

They passed through another door, and they would see the shimmering, golden, warm light of the Judgement Hall. Frisk immediately turned to Sans, who sighed in recollections.

"ah. here we are. times were had here, kiddo. and a handful of them were probably pretty bad. heh." He coughed into his bony fist. "but in all seriousness, i still gotta do my job here. i know ya didn't do anything worth my negative attention. it's just routine, is all." Frisk jodded in understanding, as Sans walked down the judgement hall for a couple feet, before he stopped and turned to him.

Judgement.

How quiet this standoff was, between himself and Frisk. A calm, gentle, caring, and loving child. In another timeline, he can be easily replaced by a being bent on destruction, and he was the final major obstacle to his mission. Sometimes he succeeded in making him call it quits and RESET. Other times...he didn't.

Nonetheless, he had to worry about the here and now before he can to on to everything else.

"alright kiddo. i'm not gonna give you the whole spiel word for word, because you've heard it plenty of times already." Sans started. "ya know what EXP and LOVE is. ya know how drastically they can change anyone. fully powered by hatred and the will to kill, destroy, and erase. it becomes easier to hurt, easier to distance yourself. easier to think of everyone as simple obstacles to your goal, and remove them by force. but not you, kiddo. not one single EXP point, and your LV has stayed at it's lowest. course that doesn't mean you're completely innocent or naive. on the contrary, your maturity is atonishingly high for someone your age. on par with a couple of adults. and yet you hold on to that special piece of you that still makes you a lovable kid."

He closed his eyes and sighed.

"normally, after i let you pass, you'd go on to fight asgore no matter how much neither kf you wanted to. you fought him and managed to win. you spared him...but a dirty weed did him in before he could try to redeem himself." Flowey flinched under his harsh gaze. "and i don't remember too much after that. memories are kinda fragmented on my part. all i know is you went right back to the start to try something different, and it somehow worked. tori, myself, and the others would appear and break up your fight before it could start. then the weed interfered again and again, didn't remember much except that we were all waiting for you to wake up. we found that the barrier had been destroyed. we were confused, but didn't question it too much. we left the underground, saw the sunset, went on to live side-by-side with the humans. bam, happy ending...i shoulda known it couldn't be that easy."

Asriel was beginning to shake nervously.

"out of the blue, i'm back in my bed, wondering why the hell everything's been RESET again. was frisk not happy with the outcome? did he forget something? or maybe he just wanted to experience the adventure again? i can kinda understand the last part, since it highlights the child part of yourself. i was gonna confront you and ask you why you did it. though...the moment i saw dust on those hands...none of it that could have possibly been self-defense or accidental...i knew that it wasn't frisk i was dealing with. nope. i was dealing with something fiercely sinister. because a couple hours later, snowdin's been wiped out, and papyrus was gone."

Sans brought a bony hand up to his head, palling his forehead as he let out a frustrated groan.

"we all make some pretty stupid calls. i'm no exception. i kept thinking to myself, don't kill 'em, sans. they can still RESET and undo all of that damage, so what's the harm? me and my poor thinking. the underground was wiped out, and only myself, alphys, the monsters in the capitol, asgore, and flowey were left. i knew full well what happened if he had his way, but i was too confident in the fact that he could just RESET and that it would all be undone. but i realized thar i was no longer seeing frisk, and that kid was not gonna stop doing what he was doin'. so i finally got off my lazy tailbone and tried to stop him. i knew it was a losing battle. i can't LOAD. he can. he'd just keep coming back until he took me down, and i progressively got tired while he kept coming back fresh. i slipped up, he cut me down...and then i'm awake in my bed again. and now i became extremely wary of the kid, constantly playing a torturing mental game of heads or tails in which either frisk or chara will exit those ruin doors. and...you know the rest."

"We do now." Flowey nodded. Getting into an alliance with the Smiley Trashbag was not an easy thing for Flowey to do...but it will always beat being cut to pieces.

"we came back this time to _stop_ the loops entirely. and that's what we're gonna do, one way or another. after that, we can worry about the humans and monsters thing. because we really, _really_ need to work something out there."

A small, soft _thump_ echoed through the Judgement Hall, and all eyes turned to Asriel. He was on his knees, staring aimlessly at the ground.

And he was crying.

"kid...?" Sans immediately rushed back to the boy. Frisk kneeled beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "asriel, what's goin' on?"

"...I...I failed..."

"what?"

"I failed...everyone..." Asriel mumbled quietly as his tears fell from his eyes and onto the goldrn brown tiles below him. "All of this...so much of it would have never happened...if I had just tried harder to make him happy."

"...you're talking about chara." It wasn't a question.

"Chara...he hated humanity so much...it bordered on obsession. I tried so hard...I did so much...I loved him so much...I kept doing my best to make him move on from that and just be happy with me and our parents. I could have made him truly happy with the life he had back then, and made him let go of his grudge. It's almost crazy how much that could have changed everything." Asriel lowered his head further, as his paw reached up to his heart, and clutched the area where Genocide Frisk's soul lies.

"Mom and Dad would have never separated because neither of us would have died, neither of them would be alone. The monsters wouldn't be despairing over losing either of us and the aspect of never being able to leave. Living in the Underground is tough...but they might have truly gotten used to it if we were still alive. They might have even found another way to break the Barrier without sacrifice. Dad wouldn't have never been so sad and angry that he would order that every human that falls down here would die. The six children before Frisk would have never died. We all could have been friends, even. I would have never become Flowey. I wouldn't have RESET so many times due to the **DETERMINATION** I had. All those RESETS would have never happened...it wouldn't have broken you so badly, Sans. You wouldn't be constantly worrying about the time lines being RESET and having to do things repeatedly. You wouldn't have accepted your powerlessness, and having to resort to faking your smile all the time to hide your true feelings. If there's anyone here right now that I've hurt the most personally as Flowey that isn't Frisk...it's definitely you."

"...kid..."

"Chara wouldn't be the way he is now if it wasn't for me." Asriel held his head in his paws, his eyes widening further. "He killed Flowey...he never forgot that I betrayed him. He trusted me more than anyone in his entire life. I didn't make him happy enough with the kids we had together, and he gave up his own so he could take revenge on humanity with me as a vessel. But...I couldn't let him do it. I directed us away and just allowed us both to die without starting the war. He...held a very serious grudge for that, too. And then he destroyed the timeline...and used a different Frisk to commit those terrible things again. I allowed the suffering to continue when I was supposed to stop it altogether." He began shaking his head rapidly, his tears leaking out faster. The sclera of his eyes became black again, and his eyes shrank significantly.

 **"I failed to make him happy. Everyone's suffering because I failed to make him happy enough to let go of his grudge. When that happened, I was forced to betray him, and he now hates me for it. He's able to do what he does due to his DETERMINATION and how he's now hateful towards everyone and everything. I could have prevented this...I could have prevented all of this...but I was unable to...I...I should have..."**

Frisk immediately wrapped his arms around him, and saw that he immediately returned the embrace, crying into his shoulder. Asriel was mumbling 'I'm sorry, everyone...I'm so sorry...' over and over, unable to calm down the first couple of moments. Frisk could only hug the boy and lightly pet the fur on the back of his head to try and soothe him. Asriel was holding all of this back ever since he saw Genocide Frisk's memories, most likely.

Meanwhile, Sans was observing the scene from afar, his eyes hollow. But anyone who no knows him well enough, like Flowey' can easily tell that he was angry. _i hope that little freak is proud of himself._ Sans internally snarled. _i know the kid has done some bad things, but now he's fully convinced that this entire thing is HIS fault and his alone! just because he thinks he failed to make that punk happy._ he relaxed his shoulders and sighed. _he's the type of person who won't EVER_ _be happy._ This guilt has been building on Asriel for so long. The Humans-Monster War was out of his control because he most likely wasn't even born at that time, so he can't possibly take the blame for that. But most things majorly negative from his and Chara's death onwards, he was claiming it's all on him.

Sans thinks he's being ridiculous, but Asriel looked, acted, and felt like it's all true. It's not a safe way to think, but there's nothing the skeleton could say would sway him from this mindset. It's far too strong at the moment.

So he just stood by as Frisk hugged the Prince of Monsters, allowing him to cry into his shoulders as he held him with as much support as he can muster. When he heard the cries stop, he felt Asriel pulling away, sniffling a little as he rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. He then heard him laugh weakly.

"Ha...some things can't be changed, I guess." Asriel mumbled. "I don't know how strong I am with Genocide Frisk's soul powering me. But even with all of this power...I still act like a total crybaby." He them offered a small smile. "But that's okay. It serves as a reminder for me. Despite all the things I know and all the power that I have...I'm still just a kid. Things can still get to me, and they might be over something stupid. But on some circumstances...I can be mature where it counts." Asriel nodded softly. "Sorry for breaking down on you guys like that."

"hey. don't sweat it, kiddo." Sans turned to the side, gazing at the golden rays of light that penetrated through the glass. "people sometimes get the impression that the strong ones are the ones that can't feel grief, sadness or depression. they're wrong. strong people can cry too. i think you already know what kind of mental state your dad is in."

"Yeah..." Asriel also turned to the side, then back to Sans. "Okay...I think I'm ready now."

"great. good luck, kiddos."

"H-Huh?! You're not coming with us?"

"asriel. asgore is _your_ pops. ya don't need me for this part." Sans said simply. "of course, you can do this in other ways that i'll totally understand."

"Like what?"

"you can reconnect with your father first. you can go back and see your mother first. it's your call, kiddo."

Asriel thought over this decision, Frisk stepping back a little to give him space. On one hand, he can simply have Sans teleport them back to Snowdin and see his mom first. Or he could just keep going down the halls and meet with his father. This wasn't something he liked at the moment. He loved both of his parents equally, and is excited to see them again, with his own body, and not as a flower.

"...I'll go see Dad, first." He decided. Because Toriel has Frisk at the moment, and it's a start to helping heal her broken heart from the past. Asgore doesn't have that kind of advantage...that's where he'll come in.

"alright. that's how it is then. i'll stand guard here just in case something...unwanted...wanders it's way in here. you just do what you need to do, and i'll do what i need to do."

"...Okay, Sans." Asriel continued down the hallway past Sans and Flowey, with Frisk by his side, until they disappeared through the shadows of the doorway. He dropped his leaf mask disguise...he didn't need it anymore.

Flowey turned to Sans nervously. "Sooo...what? Are we just gonna sit here?"

"if someone starts getting any funny ideas, it'll be up to us to try and stop 'em."

"So we're basically guards. Grrreeeaaaaat..."

Asriel and Frisk continued down the shadowed hall, the former's body was becoming heavier with each progressing step. He was nervous. Incredibly nervous. Even more so that that...

"...Frisk. I'm...I'm scared." Asriel whispered carefully. "I...I don't know how'll he'll react...I don't know how _I'll_ react. I didn't feel anything at all when I tried confronting him as a flower for the very first time. Now that I have a soul again...I'm not sure how this will play out. And I have a feeling that after this, showing myself to Mom will be even harder." Frisk reached his hand out to Asriel's paw and gently held it. He reassures his friend that everything was going to be fine. A small smile graces the Prince's muzzle. "...Okay Frisk. If you really think so."

They stood in front of the doorway. It was now or never. Asriel stared through it. His father was through that door...he'd be seeing him for real, as himself...for the first time in years. He was understandably nervous...but he couldn't put it off forever. Asriel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing his chest to puff up a little, before he breathed out, letting most of his anxiousness out in the process. He turned to Frisk, who gave his paw a reassuring squeeze. Asriel nodded, and turned towards the door.

"Well...here goes." Asriel mumbled, as he and Frisk walked through the door. There was darkness for a few moments.

After a moment, they reached inside the room, and Asriel's heart clenched.

"Dum dee dum~"

Asgore was there, right in front of him, his back turned. He was humming peacefully, as he held a watering pot to water the golden flowers in his garden. Asriel wondered if for a very long time, those golden flowers were Asgore's only company most of the time. As far as Asriel knew, Asgore was all alone here. That ends today.

The king heard the two step inside, and rose his head slightly. "Oh? Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers." Asriel tensed up a bit at his voice. Incredibly deep and instilled a feeling of power...and yet it was laced with such a touch of warmth and friendliness that some might not notice. Asgore stopped the flow of water, and smiled at his handiwork. "Here we are!" This was it. Asgore slowly turned around to face the two children, showing off his warm smile.

"Howdy! How can I-"

It would be pretty effective to say that time stopped as soon as Asgore's eyes met Asriel's. No words could identify the look of shock on Asgore's face, or the look of intense anxiousness on Asriel's face. Frisk just stood by, waiting to see what would happen next, and not interfere with this whatsoever. The silence was broken temporarily by the sound of the watering pot slipping out of Asgore's paw and clanking against the ground, and the water seeped out of it. Even the sound of water lightly sinking into the soil was the only sound that could be heard.

Frisk studied Asgore's reaction. Asgore's paws shook tremendously, his eyes wide and irises completely shrunken, and his muzzle opened up a little, then closed again. The process took quite a while to end, but when it did, they truly got to the difficult part. Acceptance.

"...why? Why must these visions torment me so...?" Asgore mumbled quietly. "This is...this is different, though. My son is sitting there right in front of me, in the company of a human who looks so much like my other son...yet they contrast at the same time. But I never see either of them in this close before. Nor have they been in this room...it doesn't stop it from being so painful." Asgore sighed lowly. "This punishment is far worse than turning to dust...anymore of this and I might..."

Asriel knew he had to stop his father's thought process before they went somewhere dark. "Daddy...please stop."

Asgore shook again when he heard what Asriel called him. The voice wasn't echoing, it wasn't condescending, nor was it dark and haunting. No...the voice was clear, recognizable, and anxious. He tried to convince himself that this wasn't real. His sons both died ages ago, that was a fact.

And yet...still...

"...I don't want to get my hopes up, only to see them crushed in such a brutal manner. And yet...something draws me closer..." He took a step, which rumbled through the room slightly. "...is it really...can it truly be...?" He took yet another step, which also resonated through the room. Asriel grew more tense as his father drew closer. But he had to keep it together. He swallowed the lump in his throat and waited patiently. After a few cautious yet hopeful steps, Asgore was finally there, towering over him. The sight of the human didn't seem to affect him in the slightest, he was focused on Asriel. Hesitatingly, and very slowly, Asgore reached his paw down to lightly touch the child's head.

His paw felt the softness and warmth of his fur. What was more significant was that he could feel it. His paw didn't phase through it, like it did many times during his hallucinations that manifested from his depression. Which means...

 _He was real._

He gasped, his eyes wide again as he stepped back just once...then he dropped to his knees, which made a loud _thud_ resonate throughout the room, and dust picked up around him. "It...it cannot be...I..." Asgore stuttered silently, as tears began leaking from his eyes and staining his cheeks. Asriel looked back at him, his own eyes watering. He could feel it this time...the feeling of intense happiness and joy. "Asriel..."

Asriel sniffles a bit, trying to keep himself together...it didn't work. Well, now he remembered who he inherited his crybaby tendencies from. "H-Howdy...D-D-Daddy..."

Asgore reached his paw outward again, slowly and cautiously. "...My son...my beloved son..." His paw slid across Asriel's right cheek slowly, and he softly caressed it as it also slid under the boy's ear. His paw was just slightly larger than his head. Asriel smiled through his tears as he nuzzles into the paw caressing his cheek, his small arms and paws giving it a hug. Both of the Royal Dreemurrs tears dropped to the floor repeatedly, with no signs of stopping. They just stayed like this, Asgore's paw caressing his son's cheek, and Asriel clutching and hugging the paw that belonged to his father, and they both stared at each other with tear filled eyes, which were joyous. Asgore didn't know how this was possible. Right now, he didn't _care_.

Father and Son have been reunited.

"My Little Angel..."

 **(The Void)**

He was the only one left, now. The child didn't know when someone's had enough. Now he's gotten the gall to do something as crazy as this. No wonder Prince Asriel found him so unpredictable.

Gasters Followers...they didn't heed his warnings. There was a limit to how much one can take before they snap, and even they couldn't stand around while Chara has his way. And yet despite their efforts...they were easily wiped out and absorbed.

The Fallen Child truly was an anomaly. A human absorbing a monster soul, whether they were erased from existence of not, was supposed to be impossible. And yet, he managed to defy the rules placed by reality.

Simply through **DETERMINATION**.

Either that, or Chara couldn't really be classified as human, anymore. Though it can be both.

Goner Kid was the only one left now, and he didn't bother to run. What would be the point of it? There was nowhere for him to escape to. He would accept his fate, if only to ask the child a couple things.

 _"What purpose do your actions have?"_

Chara stared at the Void Monster quietly. **"Now why should I answer that? You're going to be nothing soom enough. Actually, you're already erased. I'm simply taking your soul energy so I can bring myself into existence again, without any severe consequences to myself."** He shrugged. **"I don't wanna appear as a glitch, after all. I need my full body. Basically...I'm taking your nonexistence and using it to exist as my own self. Isn't that fun?"**

 _"You find amusement in things that shouldn't be amusing."_

 **"Ah what do you know? You're a fragment."** Chara raised his Real Knife. **"You don't exist, no one is going to miss you."**

 _"I can't say the same for you."_ Goner Kid said without flinching. _"There are those who still seek to save you from this pointless cycle...that is why you will be defeated."_

Those words were enough for Chara to stop for a split second, his eyes flashing with confusion. Then they returned to red. **"They'd be wasting their time. It's far too late for that. As for being defeated...unlikely."**

 _ **SLASH!**_

The glowing red knife slashed through Goner Kid, and unlike turning to dust like normal monsters, he simply disappeared, and Chara absorbed the energy he left behind. He stared ahead to the glowing light that represented the new route.

 **"I'm definitely getting closer...in fact, I might be close enough to actually influence it without being there yet! Alright, let's test this out..."** Chara held his hand out and initiated a LOAD. On command, a familiar monster appeared before him. Once again covered in a sickly purple aura. He smiled. **"You'll definitely throw everything off balance for a bit. until I get there...go on and ready the playing field for me."** The summoned monster disappeared in a pillar of smoke, and Chara continued to move forward. Getting ever closer.

 **"Time to cause a bit of chaos..."**

 **(Snowdin)**

Toriel was still quietly reading her snail book, relaxing in the chair of the skeleton bros house, as well as waiting for Undyne and Alphys to return from their date. She was hoping that it was going exceedingly well, and that they were able to make one another happy during their time together.

...However...she was getting this sinking feeling that she was missing something. Missing something very important. And she couldn't place her claw on what it was. She tried to think deeply on what it could be, but initially came up with nothing. She sighed as she closed her book.

"I'm getting worried about Frisk. It's about time I called Sans and tell him I'm ready." She nodded as she reached for her phone.

She jumped when the door suddenly opened up, and sighed in relief when she saw that it was only Papyrus. At least...she _thought_ it was Papyrus. She wondered if he'd had a bad experience on his way here, because he looked very unhappy, incredibly angry, even. She couldn't help but think something was very wrong.

"Papyrus...is everything alright? Have you seen your brother?" Her sinking feeling of dread only grew when the skeleton didn't answer, and she stepped away a bit. "...Papyrus...?" It was only then that she allowed herself to sense Papyrus's soul.

It was blank, and surging with killing intent.

This was not Papyrus.

The now identified doppelganger raised his hand, and several bones appeared above his head, and he shot them towards her, almost appearing as a blur. She reacted quickly and managed to dodge a couple, but one nicked her cheek. She was too shocked to notice the blood beginning to drip down from the mark, as more bones surrounded the skeleton, aimed straight at her.

 _DEFINITELY_ not Papyrus!

* * *

 **Arc Ended! And here we have a major problem. Chara's grown stronger, and we shall refer to his first pawn as 'Fractured Papyrus'. Wonder what happens with a Papyrus that has no emotion to hold himself back and he does battle...? Not good.**

 **And another, Asriel and Asgore reunite! Where will that lead them? Hopefully somewhere to Snowdin, because Toriel will probably need help. Like, seriously.**

 **And it won't stop there, either. Like I said before, this is when things start to get hectic. And many people are gonna start breaking through limits that no one thought could be broken...and it leads to rather... _interesting_ results. **

**What do I mean? Frisk, Undyne, Chara, Sans and Asriel, in differing timelines including this one, have each done something that shouldn't be possible at all.**

 **You probably know what they are. Probably not. It's alright though.**

 **Next Arc: Reality Break.**

 **Sans: because if someone besides me hasn't done it by now, they're about to.**

 **...I wish I could name things better...ah well.**

 **See ya soon!~**


	16. Forcing Our Hand

**Sans: welp, this sure took a while, didn't it? how long has it been? a month or so?**

 **Me: Lay off! I had writers block! Even what I came up with here probably won't work...**

 **Toriel: My child, you must have more confidence in yourself. After all, today is special for you.**

 **Me: *Relaxes and smiles* Right...I'm officially graduating high school today! Now I'm prepared(sorta...)for life to get much more difficult...**

 **Papyrus: DO NOT FRET, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS SHALL ASSIST YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY!**

 **Me: Papyrus, I don't think-**

 **Undyne: NGAAAAH! Don't be such a punk! Just do what ya gotta do! That's all!**

 **Sans: we're gettin' close to the end of this part of our journey. no sense in gettin' cold feet now.**

 **Me: ...yeah. You're right. Anyway, fellow readers! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Asgore: Excuse me...but what is this 'Fanfiction' you speak of?**

 **Me and Alphys: *facepalm* Asgore, oh my god...**

 **In all honesty, Goat Dad is so precious. I do wish people would lay off about him. He's not the only one who messed up, ya know!**

 **Anyway, let's get this started.**

* * *

Before Toriel could make sense of what the hell was happening, she was going to have to survive this ordeal, first. But even though that was the main priority, she was still baffled and utterly confused by what's happening. First of all, Papyrus of all people was attacking her. _Papyrus_. Fortunately she figured out that part the quickest, that this most likely wasn't the real Papyrus at all. Because Papyrus, whether he really was attacking somebody or not, is quite literally incapable of producing any amount of killing intent towards anyone whatsoever. The fact that she could sense the intense amount of killing intent leaking off the skeleton in front of her, she was able to easily tell that this was not the Papyrus she knows and really growing to like. She was pretty sure that he would never directly attack her, either.

"Who are you?!" She asked quickly, adrenaline slightly taking control of her body and making her move faster. Bones kept appearing over this Papyrus's head and shooting at her rapidly. She jumped over the couch and took cover behind it. Though she lightly jumped back as the sharp bones punctured the furniture and she scooted backwards slightly. The imposter grabbed the couch with one hand and threw it to the side, knocking it against the wall. "Oh dear, Sans really likes that couch..." The distraction didn't slow her down very long, as bones rose through the ground, prompting her to jump up and narrowly avoid the bones. Though one of them managed to puncture through her robe for a split second, enough to rip it and show a bit of her lower leg.

Her eyes widened as another plethora of bones surrounded the imposter Papyrus and shot at her simultaneously. Instinctively, she threw one paw outward as a plethora of fireballs countered every single bone beaded her way, resulting in small minimal explosions with each collision. She tried for a couple moments to catch her breath, though her attacker allowed no such thing. One larger bone proceeded to manifest over his head, and he merely had to push his hand outward to shoot it towards her. Toriel threw other paw out as the bone reached her, a flaming shield forming before her. It succeeded in blocking the attack, but it did nothing to stop it's momentum. The larger bone pushed through without restraint, until it pushed her right through the side of the house with brutal force.

She yelped as she rolled across the ground from the blow, until her back impacted a tree which force her to stop while also causing pain to shoot up her spine. She opened one eye as the imposter Papyrus moved through the whole in the house, insistent on his pursuit of her. This was not looking good. She knew that the Papyrus she was dealing with wasn't the Papyrus she knew, yet she is was still hesitant on attacking him. At least not within Snowdin Village where others could be hurt. Taking advantage of her attacker's insistence on harming her, she pushed herself off the ground and began to run towards Waterfall while avoiding all the bones being shot her way.

 _Fighting is not an option that I prefer...but my senses are screaming at me that reasoning with this look-alike is borderline impossible. I have no choice but to at least lead him away from Snowdin before he hurts anyone besides myself..._

Toriel was once again forced to stop as a wall of bones rose up in front of her, cutting off her means of escape. She sighed as she turned around towards the imposter Papyrus. "You seem quite persistent about this, aren't you?" The answer was to raise his hand as more bones manifested around him. She stood up as fireballs surrounded him. "I have no idea who you are, but you're most certainly _not_ Papyrus. You'll be forcing me to retaliate. I'll have no choice." He shoots the bones once again, while Toriel countered with the fireballs surrounding her. "Undyne said that Papyrus would be strong if he really puts effort into fighting. I see that even though you're not exactly the Papyrus that I know, she speaks the truth."

The imposter Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets as more bones manifested and shot towards her, as she deflects them all with her fire. Three fireballs succeeded in striking him in the chest, causing him to stagger, and a fourth one managed to knock him over. Reluctantly, she summoned a larger, stronger fireball in order to finish him before he could recover. However...

The imposter took advantage of those couple seconds of reluctance, as a bone shot from the ground and attempted to pierce through her midsection. She barely dodged in time, as it pierced her left side instead, a pained yelp escaping her before she felt to her knees, holding her side to slow her bleeding. Seeing that the imposter recovered quicker than she thought, she tried to stand up in order to defend herself once again. The imposter raised a couple bones from the ground once again, forcing her to roll in order to avoid them again.

She knew that a Papyrus will the will to fight would be strong. She just didn't take into account for _how much_. Even though Undyne was still much stronger, Toriel had the advantage of overheating her heavy armor until she fell into unconsciousness via heat exhaustion. Papyrus has no such disadvantage due to having no skin nor heavy armor. Plus, Undyne and Toriel were retraining themselves at the time. This Papyrus wasn't restraining himself at all.

She saw the imposter hold his hand out, as a longer, stronger bone manifested in his palm, and he gripped it tightly while his empty eye sockets narrowed considerably. He then dashed forward to slash at her with it, as she tried to stand up quickly and ready to defend.

Though his slash was immediately blocked by a growing blue spear clashing against his bone lance. His eye sockets narrowed even further as an eye fiercely glared back at him as the blue spear pushed back against his bone lance. Undyne.

"I don't need to be a super cute super genius like Alphys to know that you're not the Papyrus that I know and love. Platonically, of course. So who the hell are you?!" She demanded while kicking him in the ribs, which his darker shade of the 'battle body' covered up, and it pushed him back a bit, as she jumped in the opposite direction. His only response was to get back up and point his bone lance in her direction. She glared deeply and pointed the energy spear in his direction as her own response. "Fine. Have it your way." She charged at him, and vice versa.

Alphys in the meantime, rushed towards Toriel's side, helping her up. "Toriel..are y-you alright?"

"I've had better days." She responded while managing to stand. She turned to the reptilian scientist with a small smile. "Did...the date go well?"

"It was amazing! But...we k-kinda have bigger thing t-to worry about right now." Alphys said, tilted her head towards the duel between the fake Papyrus and Undyne. She pulled away for a bit and pulled out her phone. "I'll need a minute." She decided to call Geno Alphys immediately, knowing that she might know what's happening.

 _Ringing..._

 _"Alphys?"_

"W-We've got a huge p-problem on our hands! R-really really huge!"

 _"Woah, slow down! I'm still feeding the Amalgamates back down in the True Lab. What's going on? Did the date go sour?"_

"No, that's not it. The date actually went really well. I even g-got a forehead kiss!"

 _"Just the forehead? And here I thought you two would be making out in a tree by now."_

Alphys blushed deeply, and shook her head to regain focus. "C-Can we not talk about that right now? We've really got a problem!"

 _"Alright alright, I'm sorry. What is it?"_

"I don't know how or why, but Papyrus was attacking Toriel and now he's fighting with Undyne!"

There was a tense pause on the other line. _"...What color is his soul...?"_

"It's...it's blank. Almost completely t-transparent."

 _"...Fuck."_ Alphys flinched at how angry and stressed Geno Alphys suddenly sounded on the other line. She could also hear her adjust her glasses in the background. _"...Alphys...listen to me. It seems that things are finally taking a turn for the worse. Sit tight, and I'll get back to you. I need to contact Sans, and quick. Like, **yesterday** quick. It looks like you revealing the Amalgamates will have to wait. Make sure that doppelganger doesn't leave Snowdin!" _

_Click..._

Alphys pocketed her phone and nervously turned back to observe the battle between the Papyrus doppelganger and Undyne. She wondered why the news could have freaked Geno Alphys out so much. It obviously couldn't be anything good.

Suddenly, as Undyne pushed the fake Papyrus back from clashing bone and spear, he stopped abruptly after recovery.

 ** _"Not bad, Void Papyrus. I can sense that you're really raising hell. Wish I could join early."_** Chara praised in the emotionless Void Papyrus's mind. Chara may not be close enough to actually enter the timeline yet, but he _is_ close enough to make sure he establishes a mental link with the doppelgangers. Sending them in blind with no instruction of his own merit wouldn't be too smart. He may like chaos, but he'd much rather prefer being the one to instigate and control it. Plus, he can also, even if it's only in a blurry and semi-vague kind of way, see what's happening out of their eyes. _**"Hate to break it to you, but you don't stand a chance against Undyne by yourself, hatred-driven or not...so I'm gonna send you some help. :)"**_

Void Papyrus acknowledged the news and stood up tall, swinging his lance to the side as his scarf flowing with the snowy wind. Undyne's scarlet hair did the same, and she looked ready to charge again. But she decided against it when she saw the fake's shadow move from one place and leave a dark circle, and repeated the action a second time for a second circle. Her eye widened as something began rising from the circles and formed into figures. One turned into a slightly shady version herself, the other turned into a shady version of Mettaton, much to Alphys's shock.

Toriel's eyes narrowed as she sensed the evil intent emitting from their bodies. "Void Magic...? Or Chaos Magic...?"

"Either one of them is s-serious bad news!" Alphys panicked as she reached for her phone. Though she jumped and screeched lightly when a gray spear shot forth and pinned it to a tree, break in it straight through. The spear belonged to Void Undyne.

 _ **"Ah ah ah! I dunno what Geno Alphys has been up to yet, but I'm not letting her hand them handouts while I'm on watch!"**_ Chara taunted, though since this is still through the mental link of the minions, no one else could hear him.

"Hey, Faker! You could have hit her!" Undyne growled viciously.

"My phone!" Alphys kneeled in front of the tree that the spear stuck her phone through, comical tears running down her cheeks. "I had all of my game apps downloaded there! Ooohhh...it's gonna take forever to do over...!" Not only that, now she couldn't get the most recent change in status to her Genocide counterpart. And they didn't look like they'd offer a chance for her to sneak away and do it personally. She was stuck.

"We may have more important things to worry about..." Toriel stood up as the duplicates headed their way. She was still racking her brain about the how and why that this was happening, though she also had to focus on assisting Undyne and protecting Alphys.

 **(Alphys Lab)**

"Okay. Shit's about to go down, Alph. You are NOT about to let stress overtake your better judgement, though. You need to do what you need to do, and quickly." Geno Alphys muttered as she stepped out of the elevator to the True Lab. She tried to get her breathing under control, as panicking will do nothing to help her decision making.

She went over the facts. A fake Papyrus was picking a fight with Undyne and Toriel, which can only mean that Chara's influence was growing, and so was his power. That was very concerning, because LV is _supposed_ to cap at 20. Which could only mean...

"Shit...don't tell me that he surpassed the 20 LV limit. There's no way he could possibly be able to send a Void version of Papyrus here merely at LV 20. That was enough to destroy an entire timeline. Any more could..." She deduced that the situation was bad before, but this piece of information has confirmed that it was worse than she previously thought. Especially when taking into account the LV that Omega Flowey was. No one needed Chara to gain power like AND have the viciousness to use it without restraint. The only reason he isn't ravaging this timeline personally right now was because this wasn't his run. But that'll change over time, and they won't be prepared for it if they don't move quickly.

"I definitely need to get in contact with Sans. I hope those boys found a way to sway Asgore's judgement, because a lot of us might have our hands tied if this continues..." She sighed as she thought of something else. "Chara sent a copy of Papyrus from the Void. That can mean something significant, as well as incredibly bad for our future conflict. He's not punching walls through realities...like Asriel did." She said softly as she looked towards the ground, her glasses shining.

"The constant RESETS have worn them thin...all he has to do is slip his influence through the cracks that are from said RESETS in miniscule portions...then he'll have no problem getting access to this timeline...then we're really in for some hell. I can only hope that we're ready for whatever else he might bring with him..."

They can't afford to be secretive at this point. The long-term consequences far out weight the short-term. Trust can be regained. Loyalty can be won back. Bonds are definitely not impossible to restore.

Erased timelines...those can't be restored the way they used to be. Not without the severe price of Frisk's freedom. She'd make sure that this timeline's Frisk never resorts to that.

 **(Throne Room)**

Asgore, Asriel, and Frisk were still sitting around in the Throne Room, unaware of the conflict currently going on in another section of the Underground.

Asgore's paw was caressing Asriel's cheek, which soon changed as he slowly wrapped his big, burly arms around his child. Despite the immense raw power that these arms hold, he picked up Asriel as if he were the most fragile thing in the entire world. He held him up in his paws, as the child smiled at him tearfully, while holding his own paws out to him for a hug. The goat father gladly complied, and pulled him into a warm embrace despite the armor he currently wears. He hugged his son to his chest while raising a paw to pet his head. Asriel reacted positively to the attention with a widened smile. They pulled away slightly as Asriel lightly nuzzles his nose against Asgore's.

Frisk looked on with a smile on his mostly neutral looking face, filled with warmth at seeing such a scene. It's only one part of the family down, but it's definitely a start. A start that was a definite need for the both of them. Now they only needed Toriel in order to complete the trio. Frisk hopes that it goes well...but a lot of things can happen in a short amount of time.

Asgore was still confused about how Asriel was here...he currently doesn't care about the how and why, and is just incredibly joyful that he was here with him after so many years and so many nightmares. It's like a fragment of his broken heart has suddenly reformed itself where it should be. It's still incomplete, but it's most definitely a positive that he isn't willing to shoot down just because he didn't fully understand it. What he fully understood was that his son was real, and alive. How deeply he missed his little angel can never be interpreted into words. His little prince was here again.

 _Dad...Dad! Hey Dad!_

 **(Flashback: Play 'Memory')**

Asgore opened his eyes as he felt tugging on his leg. He looked down to see that his five-year old son was pulling on his pant leg, pouting adorably. He smiled as he kneeled down and met the prince eye-to-eye. "Yes, my child? What is it?"

"You said you were gonna be totally free today! You look pretty busy to me!"

"Oh, not at all, Asriel! I was simply thinking of a couple names for the far reaches of the Underground. There's a certain section that constantly snows, despite weather not being down here...or so our Royal Scientist says. I don't really understand it very well, but I suppose it doesn't matter too much."

Asriel surrendered his pouty face, which was now replaced with genuine curiosity. "Why does it always snow there without weather effects and stuff? Could it be magic?"

"It might just be that, son! I don't have a foggiest idea!" Asgore chuckled as he sat down on the ground, looking out to the Capitol. He patted the ground beside him as a sign for Asriel to join him, and the child did so, plopping next to him. Asgore smiled while stroking his beard. "Despite the many times that I've played Santa Claus for the entire village during the times before and after you were born...I've never come up with a good name for it. Maybe you can help me?"

Asriel looked up towards the ceiling in deep thought. "A name for a plays that snows a lot...?" He stuck his tongue out a little, then nodded. "Haaa...Ice Town!"

Asgore nodded in thought, then turned to his son with a smile. "Coolsville!"

"Cool Town!"

"Ice Town!"

"Blizzardville!"

"Igloo Station!"

"Mist Town!"

"Frost Town!"

Asriel scratched his ear in thought for a moment, softly biting his lip...then he gasped and got up on a kneel. "Snowdin!"

Asgore blinked twice. "...Snowdin?"

"Because monsters there are 'Snowed In' all the time!"

The King just blinked owlishly at the name. Then he smiled. "Bahaha! That's perfect, son! Snowdin it is! The chain is complete! From Hotlands to Waterfall to Snowdin! A trio of perfect names for each of those sections of the Underground!" A majority of monsters will come to disagree with these names being 'good'. Though Asgore can most certainly appreciate Asriel inheriting his mother's sense of humor. Unbeknownst to him, he also inherited his father's bad taste in names. Asriel is evidence enough of that. He and Asriel in relaxation as they stared out to the Capitol.

Asriel thought back to a certain rumor, and he once again turned towards his father. "Dad...is it true that you're like...the strongest monster ever?"

Asgore smiled. "I wouldn't say strongest ever. But for this current generation of monsters, I would say I'm the strongest so far. Being the King requires great power, and not just in the influential sense. Being a powerful leader is very important when it comes to leading an entire race. However...it cannot be that way forever."

"It can't?"

"No, son. No one can be the greatest at something forever. At some point, they will have to seek a successor who's capable enough to take up their mantle. At some point, someone will have to take my place as the Ruler of all Monsters. There is a variety of reasons for why this could come to pass, none of which are impossible. Though the one I desire most is retirement, and living the days peacefully with Toriel and you."

Asriel thought over Asgore's opinions about not being able to be ruler forever. He knew that much about it, to a simple and understandably naive degree. He once again smiled. "I can do it, Dad. I can become the strongest Monster after you, then I'll be able to lead and protect the Monsters!"

"Bahahahaha! I didn't think of that! It kinda does fall on you in a way. You are my beloved son, after all. The Prince becomes King at some point...if he chooses."

"I can do it, Dad. When I'm older, I'll be able to do it! I'll be strong enough to protect everything!"

Ashore smiled as he reached his paw out and rustled the fur on Asriel's head, before softly picking him up and placing him on top of his head. The child stayed that way by holding onto his father's horns. "Alright, Asriel. It's settled. When you're old enough, and it's time for me to take off the crown for good...I'll be sure that it goes on top of _your_ head. Then you'll be leading the monsters from then onwards."

Asriel smiled widely and nuzzled a bit into Asgore's hair. He then looked out towards the Capital once again. "Any advice that I'll have to remember until that day comes, Dad?"

Asgore nodded. "Being the ruler of an entire race is no easy responsibility, son. A lot of weight will be placed on your shoulders, and the burden shall be heavy. But if there was one piece of advice that I'd tell you to follow no matter what, for times like those..." He paused for a bit as they continued looking out towards the city, thinking of all the monsters he has to watch out for and protect by any means necessary. But what he wanted most was for them to be happy. He knew that Asriel would have the same desire, and it would be no easy task. All he could tell him at the moment was:

"Stay Determined."

 **(Flashback End-Music Stop)**

Asgore opened his eyes as they laid upon his child and the human child in question. He hesitates to question about Frisk. But he had the deepest feeling that the human had major responsibility for his son being in front of him right now. Plus...he has a feeling that he's met the small human child before...but that couldn't be, right?

"Dad...I have a pretty good idea on what you're thinking right now." Asriel said, bringing the father out of his thoughts. "You CAN'T use Frisk's soul to break the Barrier. He's a big reason for how I'm able to be here right now, even though he's technically not the direct cause." Asriel looked towards the ground in sadness, remembering how Frisk called him father in the brightest timeline possible, as the couple of Asgore and Toriel lost far too many children. It's even worse to think that eventually, since he himself didn't exist as himself in the Pacifist Route, his parents cannot age, as Boss Monsters age with their children. Which means that they will eventually outlive Frisk, adding yet another child to the list regardless.

No parent should go through the heartbreak of outliving their own children.

 _That's also my fault..._ Asriel thought bitterly to himself. He shook his head o regain focus, and locked eye contact with his father again. "Believe me, Dad. Even if you were to try to take Frisk's soul, it won't do any good. There's another way we can do this. We can break the Barrier without having to sacrifice Frisk! No more humans should have to die for something that's my fault!"

Asgore blinked. "I'm sorry... _your_ fault, son? How can any of this be your fault...? If anything, it should be _my_ fault."

"No Dad...you don't understand. You wouldn't be in this kind of situation... _no one_ would be in this kind of situation if I had simply did a better job at making Chara happy. Then he wouldn't have committed suicide by buttercups, and..." Asriel stopped himself upon seeing the confused look on his father's face. He took a deep breath, and sighed very gently. He's letting his emotions jumble up his explanation. That wasn't going to help anyone. If he was going to do this, he was going to need rein in his emotions so that he can explain clearly and understandably. Another reason, was that his mother wasn't present. If he was to explain this entire thing, they all had to be together for it. "Actually...it might be better if we had Mom around to listen, too. That way I won't have to repeat myself."

Asgore froze up from the idea. "Toriel? Toriel has come out of hiding?! Where is she?!"

Frisk stood up a bit and told Asgore that he traveled with her for a little bit, only to separate when they reached Hotlands. She's currently waiting in Snowdin for a status report from Sans. Asgore took the to realize thay this was the human that Toriel was most likely looking after. Golly, he would have been in deep trouboe if he had tried to fight the child for his soul! To him, Frisk didn't look like he could be a threat to anyone for any reason whatsoever, not if there was another, peaceful solution.

His surprise is even more evident when the human child runs up to Asgore and holds his arms out, reaching up to the fuzzy king happily. In no time at all, the King succumbed to the child's adorableness, and picked him up with his fuzzy paws. Frisk cheerfully nuzzled into the fuzzy softness of the fur of his paws, a happy smile on his face. As if it were infectious, Asgore returned the smile kindly. And to think, he was thinking of harming this child. It only made him frown at the losses of the six other children. None of them even made it to him, making Frisk the first one to actually confront him directly. Unbeknownst to him, Frisk has already done battle with him various times, _very reluctantly_ , and it didn't end very well for either of them for a variety of reasons. So Frisk is incredibly relieved that he won't have to fight his father.

Asriel smiled at their embracing scene, and was about to say something more. But then the world shifted for a couple moments in a darkish gray, and he held his head in a grimace of pain. Asgore switched Frisk into one arm and used the other arm to quickly catch the prince, a look of worry taking over his facial features. The younger Dreemurr managed to stand back up, with a look of concern himself.

"Mom is in trouble." He said simply, in which Asgore's concern grew, as well as Asriel's. He looked up in deep thought. _I can sense Chara's killing intent seeping into the timeline...he must have sent something here after Mom! There's no more use in hiding, we have to help her!_ Asriel nodded as he focused his magic, with Geno Frisk's soul resonating within his being. Asgore looked on in shock, wondering where Asriel absorbed a human soul.

Seconds after Asriel raised his magic influence as a beacon, Sans suddenly warped into the room, with Flowey in tow. He waved casually. "yo. ya rang?" He had a pretty good idea on what it could be about, because Geno Alphys called him a couple moments ago to give them a warning about the situation in Snowdin, and he made sure that Papyrus was no where near the conflict.

"The anomaly is making it's move." Asriel said simply, as Asgore was still beside them. Sans' eyes hollowed for a couple moments, before the white pinpricks returned, and he nodded in understanding. Flowey shivered fearfully, knowing what this meant. Chara was getting far too close to the timeline for their comfort, which mean he was close enough to directly influence the timeline until he gets here himself...

"tori's in trouble?" Sans turned to Asgore, who's trembling with worry. "i'll take that as a yes. welp, we can't do anything while standing here."

"Right. But first..." Geno Frisk's soul resonates within Asriel, and he turned completely white while shining brilliantly. He felt himself growing taller, and his limbs growing longer. His wardrobe changed a bit, into something he's familiar with, to a degree. Frisk recognized this as his older, taller form. 'God of Hyperdeath' as he childishly called it. Though the transformation was nowhere near as powerful as it was with the power of six human souls and the souls of every monster in the Underground sans(heh) Napstablook, Frisk can tell that it was still quite powerful. It was not exactly like Toriel's robes. Of course the Delta Rune symbol was still there on the chest, but it was black instead of violet, and there's also the shoulder pads and the hood attached. Asriel's Heart Locket glowed slightly from the transformation. The sclera of his eyes turned black again, he attained horns, and his fangs grew longer. He sighed a bit after it finished. He turned to lock gazes with his shocked father, who took in his new appearance carefully.

"...I see. Had you gotten the chance to grow up...you would have looked somewhat like this." Asgore whispered softly, paired with a lighthearted yet sad chuckle. "You'd definitely take after my good looks."

Asriel chuckled slightly, his voice a bit deeper because of his older form. He then turned and narrowed his eyes. "I can't hold this transformation for an extended period like before...I'll use it to avoid a majority of Mom's suspicion long enough to save her and the others. Then...the secrets from us will begin to end." He said softly as he grabbed his hood and pulled it over his head, overshadowing a great deal of his face. "Sans."

"yeah." The short skeleton nodded as his magic flowed around the group of five, and they disappeared in a blue flash of light...

 **(Snowdin)**

Undyne was both furious and concerned. Furious that she was struggling to keep herself from falling to her knees in order to fight these abominations that masquerade as herself and her friends. And she was concerned because it didn't seem like they were interested in allowing Alphys to seek safety, courtesy of that cube-like piece of junk that's trying to impersonate Mettaton. Shooting a multitude of lightning bolts from his finger just to make sure that the Royal Scientist stays where she was every time she tried to sneak off. She couldn't get to safety.

It had been hectic and brutal for them. She should have known that whatever the he'll these things were, they wouldn't play fair. The fake her and fake Papyrus would switch around their attacks. When she was ready to throw a magic spear at Papyrus, fake her would deflect it and he would shoot bones into her sides. Whenever Toriel would try to assist her, a wall of bones would block her path, as a larger one would deflect all of the fire attacks she could throw. They were both getting tired.

 _Damn these fakers...they don't care if they fight dirty...they just wanna wipe us out!_ Undyne concluded while grinding her teeth. She had fallen for it. When a warrior with honor rights a warrior without honor, it gets difficult. Thus, instead of a two on two duel, they barrage one of them with attacks and then ambush the other while they're recovering. These things don't get tired. And all the while, the faker Mettaton continues to attack Alphys, who has no way of defending herself and Undyne can't get to her.

This was going south very quickly. Then it came to a head.

Undyne felt the air leave her lungs when a larger bone emerged from the ground and impacted her midsection, sending her crashing into a tree behind her. She then heard a loud yelp of pain from Toriel, turning to her quickly. Her arm has been struck by the magic spear from her fake self and it stuck her to a tree as well. Alphys saw their predicament and tried to run towards them, but fake Mettaton rolled right in front of her, grayish mike in one hand, and a finger crackling with lightning in the other. Her eyes widened behind her glasses.

Undyne quickly realized this, and tried to get up to help her, but she merely grunted in pain and fury when a barrage of smaller bones wrecked her body, keeping her from going anywhere. Plus the moment she goes to help Alphys, Toriel will be dust. Both of them are running low on magic. The fake Papyrus kept her in place, and the fake Undyne kept Toriel in place, while the fake Mettaton readied to fire at Alphys...

They were going to make them watch?!

 _ **"Ha Ha Ha...look at you fools. So scared for each others lives when you should be worrying about yourselves...pathetic."**_ Chara spoke mentally from Void Papyrus's mind. He was taking great pleasure in the disarray he was causing. It was a bother that he wouldn't get to have as much amusement devastating the timeline due to his Void powers, but he'll do whatever it takes to make sure he wins in the end. He ALWAYS wins in the end. _**"So sad, and so powerless. Undyne and Toriel have been tired out, and Alphys is as good as dead. Hehehe...I can see it in each of their eyes. They're silently pleading for someone to help them. They're mentally calling out for help in complete and utter desperation, for poor Alphys's sake.**_ _ **..But nobody came."**_ Chara decided not to waste more time. _**"I want Alphys dusted first. I underestimated how clever she can really be. A mistake I'm not willing to repeat..."**_

"No...no...! NO!" Undyne growled as she got up and rushed for Alphys. Void Papyrus once again cut off her path via his bone lance. Undyne and Toriel watched helplessly as Mettaton fired the lightning shot. The former was beyond desperate, and now genuine fear seeped in. She had just found the courage to confront her feelings about Alphys which led to an amazing and deeply emotional date connecting the two even more...she can't let it end like this!

"ALPHYS!"

The lightning shot blasted the space where Alphys was standing, seemingly obliterating her. It was not a restrained shot like the real Mettaton does, it was more of a fun taser shock. This was pure lightning used to a destructive degree. Undyne's eye dulled at the sight of her potential lover's death and being unable to prevent it. She was too shocked to even react to Void Papyrus raising his bone lance, aiming to impale her through her soul...

"heya. you, uh...missed your target, buddy."

 _Sans...?_

Void Papyrus turned around to follow the voice, and looked genuinely shocked as he saw Sans casually waving at him...with Alphys by his side. Shocked at his sudden arrival, but completely unharmed. Relief filled Undyne's soul at this discovery, though there was also a hint of confusion.

Shrugging off the distraction, Void Undyne turned her sights at the weakened and restrained Toriel, and was aiming to impale her. Sans chuckled. "heh. trust me, fake undyne. ya don't wanna do that. the reason why is gonna come at you _hard_...in a couple seconds." Confusion wracked the void minions face, before she found herself roughly picked up by the hair and forcefully thrown into Void Papyrus, knocking them both into a heap. Toriel focused her eyes towards the one that saved her...and she too was taken aback by who it was. As was Undyne.

"Asgore...?"

"Asgore?!"

"I may not know the full details on these turns of events, but I DO know that harming Toriel in my presence WILL NOT STAND! And you also have the gall to impersonate my best and closet student while doing so!" The King looked very visibly angry, only to softly gaze at Toriel for a couple moments, before glaring back at Void Undyne. She then felt someone remove the spear imbedded in her arm, and turned to see who it is.

Only she couldn't, because his face was covered entirely by the hood's shadow. She blinked in curiosity as a familiar feeling enveloped her soul, but she was unable to accurately make a guess on what it could be. "Thank you. But...who are you...?"

Asriel took a deep breath, gaining the courage to look at her face to face, even though his actual face couldn't be recognized thanks to both the shadow of his hood, and magic making his face appear to be glitchy, resembling a Lost Soul. "Someone who's here to help, of course." His eyes narrowed slightly, as he turned around and held his paw outward, an invisible force disintegrating the sharp bones that headed their way with no effort. He scoffed. "You thought you would be able to blindside me? You really are an idiot."

Frisk and Flowey were a bit behind in the background, watching the scene unfold from afar. Toriel wouldn't want Frisk getting caught in the crossfire, and Flowey didn't want to ruin what good favor he now has with her due to Asriel.

Meanwhile, from Void Papyrus's view, Chara fumed in shock, confusion, and fury. **_"What?! But how...but when...why...where the...who the..."_** He clenched his fists, instantly guessing the cause of such massive change. _**"Geno Alphys, you interfering, irritating, disgusting reptile!"**_ And despite how smart Chara genuinely is, through Void Papyrus's eyes, he doesn't see the new figure who is wearing the Delta Rune. He'll be surprised when he pays closer attention.

But for now...

"let's see who's in attendance." Sans noted. "void undyne? check. void mettaton? check. void papyrus. check. so, the little brat is using the whole evil doppelganger routine. except instead of evil, they're just blank canvases, easy to paint however he wants. though he's not at the point where he can get all of us down to the letter, given that mettaton isn't transformed, and neither is undyne. not yet anyway. for now, the situation is managable."

"Sans..." Toriel sees the skeleton out the corner of her eye, as the 'stranger' besides her begins healing her wounds. She also saw the look on Asgore's face...he obviously knows something about her savior that he does not.

"also, i gotta thank ya for doing mettaton. i never liked the guy as much as pap idolizes him sometimes. now, i can vent my frustration about him on this void version of him, with little consequence to my bro." Sans looked down at his wrist, imagining a wrist watch, and he does a mock gasp while slapping the side of his skull, eye sockets widening. "well well well!" A moment later, everyone aside from the disguised Asriel, Frisk, and Flowey had a level of shock when dragon-like skulls appeared over Sans' head. They had blue eyes, and they were giving menacing, static growls. Gaster Blasters crackling with magic. His eye sockets went dark as he gave a hollow chuckle.

 **"wouldja look at the time..."**

* * *

 **Alphys: T-Things...are r-rather hectic...**

 **Sans: of course. chara is showing complete disregard for the rules. and if he won't follow them...why should we?**

 **Flowey: Smiley Trash bag makes a good point...I still hate his guts, though.**

 **Sans: *grins***

 **Flowey: *realizes error* Don't you da-!**

 **Sans: sorry pal. as you can see...i'm pretty _gutless._**

 **Flowey: I'M GONNA KILL YOU!**

 **Alphys: *Ducks under a table as the sounds of friendliness pellets, vines, Gaster Blasters, and bones fills the room* P-Please leave a review if you'd l-like! N-No one is forcing you, of c-course!**

 **Undyne: *pulls smol lizard from under table and cuddles her* So cute and generous!~ X3**

 **Frisk tilts his head, wondering if these author's notes are getting more and more out of control. He guessed right.**


	17. Truths, Terrors, And Tears

**Temmie: Hoi! I'm Temmie! Dis is my friend, Temmie!**

 **Temmie: Hoi! I'm Temmie! And dis is my friend, Temmie!**

 **Temmie: Hoi! I'm Temmie! Don't forget my friend!**

 **Me: Hi. I'm Ben.**

 **Everyone:...**

 **Me: What?**

 **Sans: dude. that totally sucked.**

 **Me: Shut up!**

 **Undyne: Who let all of those Temmies out anyway!?**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

To say how surprised were the ones mostly unaware of the situation, would take a lot of guesses. The top one would be that they were utterly flabbergasted.

Sans' Gaster Blasters levitates a couple feet above him.

Asgore's crimson trident was steaming from the heat in his paws.

Asriel was finished healing his mother, and stared down Void Papyrus.

These three had made quite a timely arrival, able to save Alphys from Void Mettaton's strong lightning, free Undyne from her bone trap, and healing Toriel's injuries as well as closing the spear wound in her arm. Now they would take great care in dispatching the void copies of their loved ones. They would not be showing mercy to blank copies. Inhabitants trapped in the Void without any of their emotions intact didn't tend to show any compassion. The only exception was a certain Royal Scientist from the past that became trapped in the Void and became it's master, and even then he's mostly filled with negative emotions, though his positive ones are still very much intact. He just has no use in them in his current situation.

But these creatures are blank slates for Chara to manipulate however he wants. They are literally incapable of positive emotions or restraint on negative emotions. Even Flowey is capable of positive emotions...they're just impossibly difficult for him to reach, even if Asriel and Flowey are no longer the same being.

So Sans wasn't going to fall for a doppelganger's trap, even if one of them looked like Papyrus. He knows which skeleton bro was his own, and this faker wasn't him. Good thing Asriel was taking care of him instead. Because even if he himself won't hesitate to fight a fake Papyrus, it doesn't mean his soul won't feel a bit sick from it.

"let's see now...usually when CHECKING mettaton...it says that his DEF is far too high for attacks to do any good. frisk's attacks don't do much since his body is made of metal _and_ magic. so let's just stick to magic. and if i'm correct...since you're an extension of that brat's evil influence..." The Gaster Blasters open their maws, as energy begins building up within them, their static growls growing ever louder. And after a couple moments, they fire a powerful particle beam towards the void robot, who merely tries to count on it's high defense to help it endure the attack. He's engulfed by the beam, which tears through the ground in the straight line without hurting it's allies. When the light dies down, Void Mettaton was shocked to see that it still took a major amount of damage, and was glowing purple, feeling it's movements slow immensely. "...you're not immune to karmic retribution. heh, good to know."

Realizing the danger Sans posed, Void Undyne rushed tonassist her Void ally, though she was blocked and knocked back by the swing of Asgore's trident when his eye flashed orange. "You won't be helping one another this time." She remained still a couple seconds too long as his otherneye flashed blue and he swung again, smashing into her midsection and sending her spiraling into a boulder. He twirled the weapon for a couple moments before he began stomping his way towards her.

The disguised Asriel stared at Void Papyrus. He was able to sense Chara's killing intent emitting the most out of this one, meaning it's the one he started with. He wondered if the child knew that it was him, there was no use in trying to deceive him, they were far enough away from Toriel. So he took a shot in the dark, and tapped into yet another power.

Chara suddenly noticed Void Papyrus's mind being hijacked, and he narrowed his eyes. _**"What the hell is going on? Who are you?"**_

Asriel got straight to the point, and spoke telepathically to him, though with indifference. _**"Howdy, Chara."**_

Void Papyrus's eye sockets widened, which signifies Chara's shock through that body. Asriel sees the gloved hands clench with rage. _**"YOU?! So THAT'S where Geno Frisk's soul went...that BLASTED Royal Scientist is doing everything she can to sabatoge me!"**_ Void Papyrus wielded a bone sword in his hand again, and he charged at Asriel, swinging with immense power. Asriel raised his paw and parried the blow away with a Chaos Saber. _**"You seem upset to hear my voice, Asriel. I thought you'd be ecstatic to see me."**_

 _ **"I have no interest in your void vessel. Which is a serious insult to both Papyrus and Sans."**_ Asriel said quietly as he conjured fire magic in his other paw and struck the puppet with a barrage of flames that struck his enemy relentlessly. _**"Since you're coming here is inevitable, I'll just wait for you. We need to talk."**_

 _ **"You should know as much as I do that there's nothing left for us to talk about."**_ Void Papyrus thrust his hand outwards as a barrage of bones shot forth towards Asriel. The response was to hold out his paw and destroy every bone with a barrage of stars. They almost canceled one another out, though a couple stars grazed Void Papyrus anyway.

 ** _"Let's agree to disagree. I have a lot of things I want to say to you, and they can only be said face-to-face."_** Asriel said, again with no emotion present. As much as he wants to show what emotions he's feeling right now, it wasn't the right time. _**"But I will say the one thing that I want you to remember when you get here...this entire thing is between you and me. So for once, leave Frisk out of it.'**_

 _ **"Awwww. You and Frisk were bonding behind my back. Is he your new favorite?"**_

 _ **"You know that's not what I mean."**_

Regardless, Void Papyrus charged again, jumping at Asriel for an overhead bone barrage, but was boasted out of the sky by one of Sans' Gaster Blasters, and he now closed purple with Karmic Retribution. Sans shrugged carelessly as he sidestepped a laser shot from Void Mettaton's hands.

"what? you've been playin' dirty. so we might as well do the same." he raised his bony hand as bones shot up, piercing Void Undyne through her arms and chest. "you threw rules out the window first. we just finished the job by burning a majority of the rulebook entirely." Asgore took advantage of Void Undyne's helplessness by rasing a pillar of fire from below her, causing severe burns on her being. And yet, she didn't show much emotion other than shock, giving the impression that these copies feel no pain. That might be a problem later on. "heh. grilled fish. grillby's...grillby's grilled fish...heh..."

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY, SANS!" The real Undyne shouted from the sidelines. She HATED being sidelined, but the stern look Asgore gave her prior to engaging her copy made her stay her hand. She was hugging Alphys, filled with relief that she was mostly unharmed. "Dammit. What the hell is going on?" She growled while she sees Sans effortlessly dodge an array of lasers courtesy of Mettaton, then retaliate with Gaster Blasters busting up the robot from many sides, and the purple glow grows a bit stronger. "Sans is the laziest guy I've ever met. How can he suddenly go from that to actually being a capable fighter?"

"It's possible we might not have known Sans as well as we thought we did." Alphys whispered quietly adjusting her glasses.

Sans slowly took his left hand out of his pocket, and held it out to Void Mettaton. The blank soul it had slowly turned a faded blue, and the skeleton's grin turned a bit mischievous. "you're not immune to that, either? that's also good to know." He swiped his hand to the side, and Void Mettaton slide across the ground, where he was thrown through trees, slammed into the ground, and into rocks. Sans stuck to repeatedly slamming the robot into the ground, seeing faded nuts and bolts falling off of its Mettaton's body got dented all over from the hard slams to the ground, and his mike fell out of his hand. "heh. i wish i could do this all day. but we're on a tight schedule. so..."

He rose his bony hand up, as Void Mettaton was shot up into the air. Sans watched with a grin. A Gaster Blaster manifested above the void robot, and it fired it's powerful particle beam down on it's target, sending it crashing into the ground. The blast finally stopped as Void Mettaton was revealed to be a charred, dented heap lying in a crater, its wheel hopping off a bit before rolling to a stop, and it's screen lights went out, hinted that it wouldn't be getting back up.

"geeeetttt dunked on, ya narcissistic piece of junk!" Sans chanted while pointing at the defeated robot monster with a triumphant grin. He watched as it glitched out of existence, which is how he perceived void monsters disappear from the real world. The skeleton sighed as his eyes turned back to normal. "heh. that takes care of that, then."

Asgore had no reason to restrain himself against Void Undyne. She was a mere, empty imitation of his most prized student/surrogate daughter. Parrying the multiple spears that he taught Undyne how to control, power, and accurately throw at targets was incredibly easy. He also knew that this Void copy of her was not utilizing her full strength, otherwise he'd be struggling much more. Most of the spears tossed his way were effortlessly parried with his trident, which he used to shot a trio of fireballs from each spike that impacted her chest with mini-explosions that sent her crashing into the ground. He wasted no time as he leapt forward and stabbed her in the chest with his crimson trident.

"I don't know who you are, but you're clearly not my student, as she's over by the trees. You don't have her heart, nor her compassion. You're merely an empty drone for whatever evil sent you here. Begone!" Void Undyne didn't respond, only glitching out of existence just like Void Mettaton. With a heavy sigh, he stuck his trident into the ground, then turned towards Toriel. His eyes calmed significantly, and he made his way towards her while holding out a paw to help her up. She turned her head away from him a little bit...but she reached out and took the helpful paw anyway, assisint her in standing on her feet. She slowly turned towards him, and their eyes met, truly met, for the first time in years.

Then she remembered her promise to Frisk, and to herself. Reconciliation with the man she shunned because she was too cowardly to endure the consequences and burdens of alongside him like a good queen would do for her king...like a good _wife_ would do for her husband.

"Asgore..."

"Toriel..."

That was all that was said between them at the moment. Because a single message has been easily understood by their eye contact, they had a lot to talk about.

Asriel had been eerily calm as he carelessly dodges the swipes of the sharp bones from Void Papyrus. Since his friends have taken care of the other copies, he had complete focus on this one, and he wanted to be done with it. When Void Papyrus did a diagonal swipe, Asriel used one paw to use a Chaos Saber to parry the slash, and the other to send him flying with a star that sent him flying across the snow. He placed both his paws by his sides and instantly warped to the Void creatures side, his eyes filled with impatience. Once he erases it, his telepathic link to Chara will be terminated, so he used the chance to speak with him for a little longer for the time being.

 _ **"Hah. I see that Geno Frisk's soul has made you significantly more powerful. And that power continues to grow. Doesn't it feel great, Asriel?"**_

 _ **"This Frisk essentially erased himself entirely from the soul, leaving only the power and DETERMINATION remaining. I felt the soul slowly assimilating with me. It's no longer his. It's mine. And I don't feel great about it."**_

 _ **"Who cares? Power is power! And yet you're willing to waste a majority of it just to stand in my way!"**_

 _ **"Chara-"**_

 _ **"Shut up! Just save it for when I get to that timeline. Like you said, our 'talk' will have to wait until then. You've grown insanely powerful. It'd better be worth my time before I erase that timeline too. But make no mistake, Asriel. We're through. You're just another enemy that's standing in my way. And when my playtime there begins, I'm volunteering YOU to be the first one to go!"**_

Asriel flinched at the venom in his foster brother's words. He can't even see him and yet he still feels the intense malevolence Chara had, and was aiming a majority of it towards him. _**"...You...you really hate me...that much?"**_

 _ **"Quoting Toriel right before she turns to dust on that route? Cry me a river, Asriel."**_ Pause. Asriel could feel eeriness seep in his mind...Chara must have put on a sick, twisted grin. **_"...you've searched through the memories of Geno Frisk, haven't you? Heh. You must have seen when I 'guided' Frisk into killing our mother. You have a soul now. You can feel emotions again. So...how did that feel when you saw it, Asriel? Must have been quite a mind-numbing shock, huh?_**

Asriel become silent after this, signifying that Chara has successfully struck a nerve. But not the way he expected. Instead of rage, Asriel only became much sadder. His foster brother has fallen so far into darkness and is blantantly destroying any chances of redemption. It wasn't looking good for the two of them. They were on a collision course with one another, and it looked like there was nothing Asriel could do to stop it.

 _ **"...How long and how much do you think you can protect Frisk from me?"**_

The line was crossed.

The immediate response was to raise his right paw, intertwine his fingers and softly chant: _**"Shocker Breaker."**_ The result was a colorful bolt of lightning striking down Void Papyrus with immense intensity. Asriel could only stare at the electrocuted void creature with saddened eyes as he felt his mental link to Chara abruptly cut off, signifying that the void being glitched out of existence. His paws fell to their sides while he stared at the snowy ground.

 _hm. looks like asriel's done._ Sans thought while staring towards the disguised Dreemurr, and he sensed a wave of sadness around him, lightly influencing his magic. _but not without emotional damage, it seems...he must have had a short spat with his foster 'brother'. mind is a bit shaken up. well...it's a bit unfortunate at this particular moment, because-_

"Alright...that's over now. Now, if we're all done catching our breath, I just wanna say something. WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?!" Undyne roared. She hastily pointed to the disguised Asriel. "WHO THE HELL IS THAT?!" Then towards Sans. "AND HOW THE HELL DID YOU GO FROM LAZY SACK OF BONES TO ACTUALLY BEING KINDA BADASS?!"

"what can I say? i'm bad... _to the bone_."

"...I can't believe I walked right into that. "

"but in all seriousness...we have an explanation for this." Sans turned around as Frisk and Flowey emerged from their hiding place as well as cover, and made their way towards their group of friends. Toriel gasped softly as she opened her arms and wrapped them around the small child, picking him up and cuddling him, relief washing over her soul.

"Oh thank goodness, my child! You're safe!"

"told you i was an expert guardian." Sans said victoriously.

"Expert guardian my ass! You sleep during all of your sentry shifts! I don't even know why I keep you hired!" Undyne said through gritted teeth. Then she remembered the reason, and pouted. "Right...Papyrus."

Alphys shifted her eyes towards Flowey, who responded by looking back at her with an irritated pout. "What are _you_ looking at?" She seemed shocked. He seemed so much nicer back at the lab...now he's changed back?

"that can also be explained."

"And what's Asgore doing here? And how did he get here?"

"oooookaaaayyy! how about we discuss this somewhere else...like alphys's lab?" The Royal Scientist instinctively tensed up at what he was implying. "let's give paps a ring. he'll wanna be in on this, too."

"Really, Sans? I don't think he should be getting involved in something like this." Undyne said with concern.

"heh. that's what i thought too. but it's much better to let even him know about what's going on than leaving him in the dark. don't get me wrong, i'd prefer not to tell him...but we have to." Sans said a bit solemnly. The sudden change in tone quieted anything else Undyne had to say. The skeleton then turned towards Frisk with a hollow sigh. "welp. the jigs up, kiddo. we can't keep up our charade any longer. we're on a time limit, now."

"Charade? Time limit? Wait...you mean the punk's in on this?"

"in on it? he might be in the very dead center." This surprises most of the group greatly, but he waved it off at first. "save further questions until after the shortcut." he says in an announcer-like manner as his left eye began glowing cyan.

"Short-"

They all vanished in a cyan glow of light...

 **(Alphys' Lab)**

"-cut...?" Undyne was caught off guard when she realized that she was in Alphys's Lab in Hotlands, which was supposed to be on the total opposite of Snowdin. _How did he do that?!_

The lab door slides open, revealing Papyrus stepping through with his usual cheery glow and aura that served to calm Sans' nerves about coming clean. Even if only a little. "GREETINGS, FELLOW FRIENDS! I'VE RECEIVED A MESSAGE INFORMING ME TO MEET UP ON DR. ALPHYS' LAB! I WAS UNAWARE THAT WE WERE HAVING A GET-TOGETHER!" He gasped. "EVEN KING ASGORE AND GOAT MOTHER ARE HERE!"

"...Goat Mother...?" Asgore blinked, while Toriel rubbed her neck.

"That's...from a rather interesting experience in Snowdin."

"alrighty then. the gang's all here." Sans noted. Frisk asked to be let down from Toriel's embrace for the time being. She reluctantly complied as she set him down and allows him to run up to Sans, who began rustling his hair. He then took a mischievous gaze towards Flowey, who shrunk a bit from the hidden message: _just try something that even remotely resembles back stabbing. you won't like what happens afterwards._ "okay, we're not gonna hold back too much once we start. so i suggest you pay attention. me and frisk have been hiding quite a huge ton of secrets from all of you. this includes stuff about Alphys, the weed in the floor, and our mysterious friend here." The disguised Asriel just leaned against a wall to support himself, not willing to say anything until he had to. It dirn't help that Toriel kept gazing back to him in a questioning manner, but didn't act on it. Yet.

Undyne tapped her foot. "Well? Don't leave us in suspense. Get on with it!"

Sans waved his bones hands as if it might cool her down. "alright, alright. frisk...we're taking one of our biggest leaps of faith yet. last chance to back out." Frisk shook his head and hugged Sans' arm. He sees the seriousness and **DETERMINATION** in his eyes and nods. "right. here goes."

Despite the exceedingly high chance that they wouldn't believe him, that they might think he's crazy or just pulling some sick twisted prank-he won't blame them-there was also the slight chance that they'll at least hear him out and consider believing him. They can't stay in the dark about this any lo longer. It was reaching the point where it was impossible to complete there goal without everyone's help. So Sans didn't hold back on his explanation. He was extra careful to leave the parts about Asriel out of it, that was for him to explain, and just focused on himself and Frisk. The concepts of SAVE, LOAD, RESET...and ERASE. How Frisk had the abilities of the first three...and a much more sinister child repeatedly impose on the fourth. Time travel. Frisk uses it to try te best he could to make everyone happy. The other child uses it to cause pain suffering, death and destruction. And they've long since lost their reason for doing so. Now they do it because they feel as it's only function.

Like said before, Sans didn't hold back. From the seriously fragmented memories he's slowly but surely managed to piece together, He told them all that there was a timeline there'd where they made it to the surface. They could feel the warmth of the sun for the first time in years. Their horizon has been dramatically enlarged with a plethora of possibilities and discoveries. And best of all, the humans didn't really mind them too much! Sure, they reached a couple tough spots, but they mostly got along. The central reason for this is that the humans that started the war were long gone, and the current humans just want to get along with them and vice versa. All in all, it was a happy time for all.

...then it was all RESET, with no memory of the surface remaining. Instead all of those memories of love and happiness were replaced with death and destruction. All of Frisk's closest friends, his _family_...mercilessly executed. Repeatedly. Failing to stop the sinister human possessing him. Repeatedly. The world ends, the timeline is erased. _Repeatedly._ And then it RESETS, and that basically screws everyone over. Sans already figured it out, with Alphys help. Once the No Mercy path was completed, all the other routes were doomed. That's it. Frisk sacrifices his soul to bring the world back, and it STILL never ends happily. Permanent bad times all around, for everyone. No hope of fixing it...until now.

Sans has given up on stopping the RESETS and the No Mercy path a long time ago. But for the first time ever, there's a genuine, absolutely possible chance of stopping both of them for good. And for the sake of everyone and everything, he was quick to take it. One last RESET, different for the others. The sinister human can't access the timeline until he gets here himself. Enough space, enough time, to set up a plan to end it all for good. MERCY was off the table. It's far too late for that.

After all, Toriel and Papyrus, the two monsters who always managed to help him keep going on with life, have never failed to offer and give MERCY. They were related with betrayal of the worst kind.

No more.

When Sans finished, he took a breather. _welp, there we go. let the chips fall where they may...though i'd prefer if they fall in our favor. we like, DESPERATELY need for them to fall in our favor in order to move forward._

The first one to speak was Undyne, who rubbed the back of her neck with a look of disbelief. He saw that coming. "Sans...if this is another one of your pranks...it's one of the worst yet." She groaned. "I mean _really?_ All these memories you were telling us, the good ones and the pretty bad ones...and they're wiped clean because of these 'RESETS'?"

"i pull a lotta pranks on a lotta people, undyne. none of them are that cruel. why would i start now?"

"Come _on,_ Sans! Even if it were true, how can YOU remember these things when we can't?"

"actually...all of your past memories are much clearer than my own. i can only remember tiny fragments at a time. i'm just really good at quickly putting them back together, combined with close to pinpoint guessing. ever notice how each of you have sensed some sort of déjà vu when you all spent time with frisk? that's because he's met us all before, and he LOADS and SAVES plenty of times in order to set things right, or try to find something that he's missed. he uses these powers fueled by **determination** , in order to make everyone happy." Frisk nodded rapidly, silently pleading for all of them to believe Sans. They had no idea just how important this was to him. The suffering will only stop if everyone is playing a part in it.

Toriel sees the **De** **termination** in Frisk's eyes...as well as complete and utter desperation, as well as intense concern for her and they others. His soul was also pulsing faster in anticipation of their response. She breathed softly while running a paw around her floppy ears. "I...I do not know, Sans. I find it difficult to believe you...but Frisk looks like he supports you one-hundred percent. The best I can do is continue to hear you out..."

"SANS...HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU TOLD ALL OF US THIS INFORMATION?" Papyrus asked softly, causing his elder brother to turn towards him. The expression he's wearing is a combination between pain...and trust. Papyrus looked just as hesitant to believe Sans as the others, but he decided to trust his that his brother was telling the truth, and see where it leads.

 _my bro is so cool._

"to tell you the truth...this is the first time i've told all of you at once. i tried to do it independently, one at a time, a couple times. no dice, doesn't change a thing. i kinda gave up trying that method after that." Sans shrugged. "but now...now that i see a chance to change things for the better...i'm gonna take it, and make sure it succeeds."

Undyne relaxed her arm fold, and stopped talking the ground. "Alright...say we believe you. If you've tried telling us about this whole time travel business before and it didn't work...what makes you think it will work now?"

"the difference is, now i have the proof to back it up. multiple sources, in fact. and our mystery fellow over there is exhibit A." Sans pointed to the disguised Asriel, who summoned his soul out of his body and allowed it to float in front of the group. The reaction was as followed:

"Is that...a human soul?!" Toriel gasped. Asgore nodded softly, which made her mentally question why he wasn't surprised.

"WOWIE..."

"No freaking way! I would have been alerted if another human fell down here! How did this punk get a human soul?!"

Alphys responded last, but not the way Undyne expected. Instead, she adjusted her glasses with understanding, looking between the human soul and the being wwo now possesses it. "So that's what she did with it...but why?"

"Eh? What who did with it?"

"we'll get that in a minute." Sans interrupted, placing his hands in his pockets. "place your hands in front of it. let it's power reach out to you. it will explain a majority of what's going on...or more like what's already happened and how it affects what's happening now. but...brace yourselves when you do. you are REALLY not gonna like what you see. but it's better that than being oblivious."

All of them looked at Sans with silent apprehension. But they see how serious he is about this, and comply with his request. Each of them held their hands out just a few centimeters from the soul, and allowed it's energy to flow to them...

Immediately, all of their eyes widen significantly in shock and horror, and all of their expressions highly reflected on the latter. The memories of Geno Frisk flowed into each and every one of them, while the disguised Asriel looked on under the guise of his hood. He made sure that they never saw Flowey in any of the memories.

Toriel saw herself slashed across the cheek and torso.

Papyrus saw himself being decapitated.

Undyne saw herself melting from too much **DETERMINATION**.

Alphys saw the former, and Mettaton Neo being destroyed.

Asgore saw himself slashed across the torso like Toriel, then his soul destroyed.

Before that one, they all saw Sans slashed from shoulder across the rib cage, bleeding out, and slowly exiting with a look of solemn acceptance.

And most importantly...they saw Geno Frisk being coaxed-eventually forced-into going through these wicked acts, with Chara as the puppet master. After the cruelty of repeating this process, Geno Frisk erased himself, leaving his soul with the memories and power behind. Chara carelessly and coldly took the soul for himself, and continued his rampaging with Geno Frisk's body.

The soul retreats back into the disguised Asriel, and the others pulled their arms back with shock and horror fully taking over their facial expressions. Toriel actually stepped back a bit and fell on her rear from said shock. Asgore immediately kneeled by her side to help her. Papyrus's jaw repeatedly opened and closed slowly. Undyne's eye was expressing horror, shock, and _unbridled rage._ Alphys looked towards the ground with her glasses flashing white, everything about Geno Alphys now making sense. Altogether, they came to the same conclusion.

Sans and Frisk weren't bluffing.

It was heartrendingly worse for Asgore and Toriel. The longer they searched the memories replayed by Geno Frisk, how he kept hearing whispers in his head that keep telling him to kill everything in his way, to the point where it became clear that he was losing control of himself. Dust builds on his body, their faces gains more emotions, their aura becomes sickly sinister, and their sweater turned to a familiar green with a single yellow stripe. They recognized the child as soon as the memory ended.

" _Chara...?_ " The name leaves Toriel's muzzle in such a way that Sans could have sworn that time had painfully slowed down for her. Her voice also cracked a bit, signifying how close she was to tears. Her now dilated eyes were now staring into nothing, just straightforward as she now understood that all of this has actually happened, in a different space of time. One of her children...someone she truly considered one of her own with all her heart...is single-handly responsible for destroying the world, multiple times. With no care for her, no care for Asgore, no care for anyone. The way he looked at them as they were mere obstacles instead of the family he once knew...

She slowly placed one of her paws to her chest, over to where her heart was, and squeezed it in order to suppress the emotional pain she was feeling right now.

 _Heartache._

"C-Chara..." She repeated softly. "W-Why...what could have pushed him into such an incredible depth of darkness? Why is he doing this...and why so many times...?" Asgore wasted no time pulling her into his arms, and she didn't retaliate the gesture. She didn't even move much, unless one counted the slight movements she made when Asgore begin soothingly rubbing her back in small circles, as well as rubbing her shoulders a bit. "The hatred in his eyes is so immense...the malice is so powerful...and a majority of it seems to be targeted towards us. Why...?" She continued to ask. Sans wasn't surprised by her response, this was the reason he didn't want to tell her about it, but circumstances forced him to do so anyway. Toriel began shaking. "I could have sworn we've been good parents to him...was it for naught? Did we do something wrong while raising him? Did we not pay enough attention to him? Did we simply just...not love him enough...?"

Asgore's eyes closed softly. "It might have been for revenge. We swore to take care of him, to treat him as if he were our own. It seems...we weren't successful in making him feel like he was part of a family, if he ended up like this."

 _ya gotta be kiddin' me. the whole family is blaming themselves. this is getting ridiculous._ Sans clenched his fists, which went unnoticed as they were in his pockets. _asgore is looking down on himself more than usual, tori looks like she's gonna cry, and i can tell asriel is STILL blaming himself everyone's suffering..._

BAM!

Undyne had just punched a huge dent in the metal walls of the lab, snarling with seething rage. Her bare knuckles began to bleed from how much force she out into the punch. Alphys was fine with it, she was right to be upset. "We couldn't stop him...he plowed through almost everyone like we were nothing! Through all of that hell, only me and Sans were able to stop him in his tracks, and even then it was for nothing! And Alphys..." She looked towards the ground, slowly removing her fist from the wall. "Alphys...she died without any of her friends by her side..."

"Heh. Is it bad that I would have preferred that over what REALLY happened?"

Undyne blinked, and turned towards Alphys. "What do you mean?"

"I-I didn't say that. W-Which must mean-"

"exhibit B." Sans said simply, as he turned towards the elevator. So did everyone else, and they saw who stepped through it. Immediately, those who didn't already know were shocked, as another Alphys stepped through, adjusting her glasses. Undyne most certainly jawdropped at the sight.

"A...A...A...ALPHYS?!" She shouted while staring at her in disbelief. She stared at her own Alphys for a couple moments, then turned towards the other one, and this repeats for s couple moments. Then she clawed at her head. "NGAAAAAH! I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS CRAP!"

"It's really good to see you again, Undyne." Geno Alphys smiled. "As a matter of fact, it's great to see all of you again."

"AHAH! ALPHYS'S TWIN SISTER HAS RETURNED...OR WAS SHE A CLONE?"

"I'm neither, Papyrus." She chuckled. "But like Sans said, I'm the 'Exhibit B'. I'm the Alphys from the Genocide Timeline. But you can just refer to be as Geno Alphys." She folded her arms. "You're all gathered here...it's safe to assume that Chara threw all of you for a loop?"

"Chara is unpredictable. Of course he threw us for a loop, Royal Moron." Flowey rolled his eyes. Geno Alphys responded by kicking his pot over without even looking at him, making him fall on his head. "OW!"

"Quiet you." She said carelessly, which shocked her counterpart. She was usually terrified of Flowey, but this Alphys just kicked him over as if he were a minor annoyance. "Now as I was saying, at you now fully convinced of the whole time travel thing?"

"I don't think we could even if we tried." Asgore sighed.

"Hold on a second! In this whole No Mercy timeline or whatever, everyone was wiped out! Not that I'm not relieved, but how are you alive?" Undyne questioned.

"Chara thought it would be funny if he had an audience with him as he destroyed the world. He picked me because he thought I would be too weak and broken to try and defy him. He made a mistake on that part, because I outsmarted him and took back Geno Frisk's soul, and used his **DETERMINATION** to warp to this timeline. Now, I can help make sure the Genocide timeline can never be accessed again. I also make sure that Alphys is happy and strong will. And I can clearly see that she's happy. And she's also gotten some stronger will. And I'm proud."

"Thank you...er...m-me."

"Back to the other subject matter. What was this business about this...Geno Frisk's soul? You said that you managed to retrieve it from Chara. But...where did it go? What did you do with it?" Toriel pressed, concerned.

Geno Alphys nodded. "Alright. Get ready. Just like in the animes, it's time for the surprise reveal." She turned. "Take off the hood, kid." Asgore instantly knew what she was talking about, and also turned towards the hooded stranger in disguise. Said stranger sighed in order to ready himself for what's to come. Asriel slowly slid the hood off of the top of his head, revealing himself to everyone. Toriel suddenly felt the familiar sensation grow even more powerful. She found herself unable to move as he made his way towards her, until he was right in front of her. Being a few feet taller than her, she had to look up in order to meet his eyes.

Even Geno Alphys was shocked by what happened. Despite the drastic change in looks that Asriel made with his transformation, Toriel recognized him almost immediately. His magic influence is highly close to that of Toriel and Asgore, she could sense it. She thought she was hallucinating, but she quickly discarded that thought for a more positive one. From some divine as well as temporal intervention...her son has returned to her.

"...Asriel?"

He blinked a bit from surprise, but quickly shook it off. With a bit of an awkward smile, he waved. "Howdy...Mom..."

"B...But how...?" She recalled what she had just asked, and retracted her question. "You...you absorbed Geno Frisk's soul..."

"I had no choice. If I didn't, it would have disappeared. The last traces of Geno Frisk aside from his memories are gone. This soul is now completely mine...but I really don't feel good about it." Asriel sighed.

"But...still. Before this. Where have you been all this time?"

Asriel then began explaining his side of things. How the plan he made with Chara had failed because he didn't want to kill any humans. He took back control while carrying his brother's body away from the human village, even as they were beating him to death. How his dust scattered across the flowers. And suddenly he's awake again, reborn as a flower known as Flowey. How he couldn't feel emotions because he was soulless, and it lead to the discovery of his ability to LOAD and SAVE, as well as RESET. He once used them for good. But that lost it's benefit because he still couldn't feel anything, so he switched over to using them for evil, only to be stopped by Sans at every turn. Eventually he stopped trying, as Frisk, one with higher **DETERMINATION** than himself, took all of those abilities from him. In multiple different scenarios, he thought that Frisk was Chara, due to their similarities in looks. But the difference was significantly notable as on one end of the spectrum, he gained a friend, even if only temporarily. On the other end...

Toriel experienced multiple emotions in a short time. The most notable were understanding and horror, because in this timeline, Frisk prevented her from harming Flowey when he first fell down here. Which means in other timelines...she felt a little sick.

"I struck my own son...and in this timeline I almost did it again..."

"you couldn't have possibly known, tori." Sans already read her expression.

"...I reincarnated the Prince into a time-warping killer flower." Alphys deadpanned. She then gripped her head and shouted up to the ceiling: "WHEN WILL MY SINS END?!"

"A-Alphys! Please calm down! I'm not mad at you, I swear!" Asriel panicked at her outburst, sweatdropping.

"You couldn't have known this, Alphys! His dust just happened to be on the ONE flower that you injected that stuff into. It was pure chance!" Undyne tried to comfort while kneeling by her side, hugging her.

"I supported the order for her to pursue that sort of research...to think that my son suffered for it...I..." Asgore lowered his head again.

Sans blinked his eye sockets in disbelief, while turning towards Frisk. "how did we turn this entire thing into a pity party?"

"That's worse than them not believing us." Flowey sighed in annoyance. "Luckily he believed that we're two different entities, and he's right. We separated into two different beings. Good riddance."

"ya can see him as the representation of a LARGE amount of asriel's negativity."

"Y-Yeah. What Sans said." Asriel said weakly. "Well...I guess all of the bombshells we've dropped so far have really sent us for a loop...we should probably...huh?!" Asriel was cut off by his mother, who had rushed up to him with a tight hug, nearly knocking him off balance. "M-Mom..."

 **(Memory)**

"You know what? I will no longer question how you're back. I don't care about the how." She whispered softly while petting the back of his head, tears beginning to leak out of her eyes. "It doesn't matter to me right now. All that matters...is that you're back. After all these years...my child has returned to me. I can actually hold you in my arms. My heart his pounding with newfound warmth. Mere words will never be able to express the joy I'm feeling right now."

"Mom...come on..." Asriel whispered back, tears falling faster on his face than on hers. He knew he would get like this. He was at least able to hold somewhat himself together when he came face to face with Asgore. His mother was a different story entirely, he can feel himself breaking down. Especially when he remembers what he said about her as Flowey:

 _Eventually, I reached the RUINS. Inside I found HER, Chara. I thought of all people, SHE could make me feel whole again...She failed..._

"My child...you suffered so much...more so than anyone in the Underground, just like Frisk. I couldn't protect you from harm, like a mother should. And other timelines, I was imprisoned by my inner fear, which kept me from going onward to protect Frisk. To add onto that, I allowed the kingdom to fall into disarray after your death, refusing to take some responsibility for it's deterioration. As much as I was displeased by Asgore's actions...I was all he had left. Now he believes his death is his only release from his inner torment. I allowed the entire family to fall apart." Toriel hugged Asriel tighter, pinning his arms to his sides. "Asriel...I...I understand if you can never forgive me."

That did it.

He knew this would happen, he _knew_ it would!

His eyes were squinted tightly, as the river of tears grew more constant and causing his pupils to shine slightly. His lips quivers immensely, out of his control, until he began gently biting down on his lower lip. And to top it all off, he began sniffling a lot as his nose began to run. He just couldn't help himself. His mother was hugging him, and he could feel his heart grow warmer and brighter. The one person he thought would sprout the most emotion from him, and he was right to think so. He lost all composure that his adult form seemed to impose. He was being a big baby. He didn't care. Toriel was hugging him, asking for _his_ forgiveness because of _his_ descent into darkness that Frisk was able to pull him out of. He had a feeling that some happy timeline out there, she found out that Flowey and Asriel were the same person, which isn't the case anymore. But still, despite the bitterness he might bestow upon many as Flowey, including herself, she loves him all the same.

Her love for him was absolutely unconditional.

"M...M...Mama..." Asriel murmered softly. A bright flash appears from his body, and the light filled the entire room. When it died down, Asriel was back into his child state, and Toriel was still holding him. He clutched onto her tightly and cried loudly into her shoulder. She didn't mind at all. She felt that out of all the monsters, Asriel is the one who needs to get his tears out the most.

Asgore slowly loomed over to them, placing a paw on her shoulder. She looked towards him with a neutral expression at first. Until Asriel spoke up again: "Mama...Dad didn't...kill those six children..."

Her eyes seemed to widen at this. "What?"

"It's true, Toriel." Geno Alphys folded her arms. "The last things the humans carried before they died were scattered all over the Underground...none of them even made it to Asgore. He didn't kill any of them with his own hands because they didn't get the chance to see him. Monsters just offed them and then took the souls to him."

"Regardless, I gave the order. The difference is miniscule." Asgore sighed. "Not all of those children were innocent...but not all of them were bad. I never had a chance to distinguish the difference, because they would have already been executed. I have to live with that knowledge forever."

"Asgore...please don't be too hard on yourself." Toriel breathed out, which shocked Asgore immensely. "It's true that the order you gave was despicable...but at least you tried to stay true to the promise you made to the monsters. You had the choice to run away from the heavy burden...but you didn't. I realize that I never made the situation better by abandoning you and the other monsters when they needed the both of us to keep the kingdom standing. I left you to suffer alone...I don't suppose you'll forgive me either."

Asgore reached his paw out to her, and wiped another tear streaming down her cheek. "Tori...please do not blame yourself. I can understand that you might see me as pathetic for my choices. Six children, regardless whether they were good or not, were killed on my order. If I did not, the monsters would lose hope. I...I couldn't let them fall further into despair than they already have."

"Neither of you would be feeling this way if it wasn't for me." Asriel hiccuped, signaling for Toriel to pat his back comfortably. "Me dying...really made the monsters angry. They hated humanity because I died to humans. I shouldn't have allowed Chara to commit suicide by buttercups...I should have told you what he was planning. Maybe you could have stopped him first, before I had to sacrifice myself to keep him from killing the humans in that village. He took that as a betrayal, and now he's turned into something truly evil...he won't show mercy to anything anymore..."

"...I think we ALL should have done better in what we were doing. We should have made better choices with the situations presented to us. Better decisions could have avoided a lot more grief. Now that we're together again...we can begin to make reparations for our kingdom...and our bonds." With this Asgore wraps his large arms around both Toriel and Asriel. They returned the large hug, and they began nuzzling one anothers muzzles.

For better or worse, the Royal Dreemurrs have been reunited.

Asgore pulled back a bit. "Um...Tori...does this mean...?"

"We'll see." Toriel smirked playfully. Asgore blushed brightly at this.

"...I ship it!" Both Alphys and Geno Alphys squealed in sync, paws on their cheeks. Undyne wrapped an arm around both of their torsos and pulled them close to her, cheeks rubbing against one another.

"Both of you are so cute!" Undyne squealed as well. She set them both down quickly, blushing deeply. "Uh...I mean...that's cool and all."

"AWWW...UNDYNE! YOU ARE ALSO COVERED IN CUTENESS!" Papyrus smiled brightly.

"I'll show ya cute!" Undyne snarled, tackling the tall skeleton and trapping him in an arm hold, noogieing his skull. "NOOGIE!"

"NO! DON'T NOOGIE THE SKELETON, NYEH!"

Frisk's smile is the brightest thing in the room right now, as was Asriel's. Their will to see this on a daily basis, happy smiles all around. It fills them with **DETERMINATION!**

 **(Music Stop)**

"...wow. you all sure bounced from the bad news quickly, once the good news was told." Sans said, genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. Well if we're to prevent this Genocidal timeline whatever, we shouldn't do so with negativity in our souls. So Sans, you can stop being a nihilistic sack of potatoes! We're gonna end this whole time loop business once and for all!" Undyne said with her signature sharklike grin. "We're gonna live happily on the surface alongside the humans. We're gonna get over our beef with each other. And most importantly, we're gonna make sure our happy ending NEVER becomes undone again!"

"...Spoken like a Shonen hero. Now I remember one of the other reasons I fell in love with you besides your kindness~" Geno Alphys purred, clasping her paws. "This timeline's Alphys is such a lucky gal." Her counterpart blushed in embarrassment, but she couldn't hide her smile.

"right. so, asriel. have you made a decision yet?" Sans questions.

Asriel lowered his head in deep thought. The couple moments he telepathically linked with Chara, he could sense the immeasurable amount of malice he emitted. He has become a being of pure evil, and it's highly unlikely he'll seek to change himself for the better. He's crossed the line far too many times to even consider the thought. And yet...Asriel still hesitated. There was a time when Chara's smiles were genuine, a time where he truly loved his Foster family. But he allowed his hatred to destroy everything in his path, including entire timelines. He really didn't want to fight Chara...unfortunately his foster brother is no longer interested in talking. Plus:

 _How long and how much do you think you can protect Frisk from me?_

"I made a vow to myself. Frisk has suffered far too much for our sake. From the moment I absorbed Geno Frisk's soul, I promised to protect him. That's a promise I intend to keep. Even if the person I have to protect Frisk from...is Chara. He wants to hurt Frisk. I can't let him do that." He clenched his paws into tight fists, and they glowed a bit with white magic. "I _won't_ let him hurt Frisk!"

"that's settles that." Sans nodded. "alright geno alph. we have a game plan. it's time we put it into motion."

"Agreed." Geno Alphys nodded. "Chara has been able to win as many times as he's able ro because he can predict our every move due to LOADING and SAVING. He also has those new Void powers at his disposal, so that's another factor we have to take into account. So we start being unpredictable to the unpredictable." She smirked as they all gathered around her, listening intently to the plan that she's told Sans.

"This is for all the marbles, guys and gals. So I need you to pay extra special attention..."

* * *

 **That does it for this one. And it appears that the end is near. Geno Alphys's plan will be reaching it's final phases in the next couple of chapters. And boy, she's thought deeply about an lot of scenarios. You'll have to wait to see it unfold in action, though. Hope ya don't mind.**

 **The next chapter involves a certain battle that's going to be taking place a teensy bit earlier than anyone expected.**

 **Sans: hehe. i've been waiting a loooooooong time for this. and it's gonna be worth it, because it's for the sake of everyone.**

 **Flowey: That wimpy goodie two shoes side of me has finally made a decision on how he should handle Chara. Though it doesn't mean he likes it. Despite his grievances, he chooses Frisk over Chara. And boy...that's gonna result in quite an emotional clash...can't wait to see it!**

 **The next chapter...will be out when it's out, as usual.**

 **So...yeah. Seeya~**


	18. Megalovania

**Sans: warning, folks. i might be seen as a bit oc in his chapter. probably because i get legit pissed off with you know who and a good length of it is during a rant. overall, this is my dialogue at it's highest word count in a chapter, and it kinda screws with the action. sorry about that.**

 **Me: Sans now fully understands the hell the Dreemurrs endured, and how careless Chara is to it all despite being mainly responsible. And he's _not_ happy about that. But hey, at least you get to kick his ass while you're ranting.**

 **Sans: yeah...that's one benefit...(Megalovania Intensifies...)**

 **Asriel: I still don't like this situation at all!㈷7**

 **Frisk agrees wholeheartedly.**

 **Toriel: *Hugs them both* I too am displeased by how things are turning out...I'm worried about the conclusion. Which by the way, is getting closer.**

 **Me: I know...I know.**

 **(Warning: Very dialogue heavy battle! Sorry!)**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

 **(Judgement Hall)**

A bright flash of light illuminated the Judgement Hall for a couple moments. The aura in the air immediately became darker and more twisted. In mere moments, something appeared out of the flash of light, the yellow SAVE point of **DETERMINATION.**

 **Chara.**

After spending so long clawing his way through the Void, he had finally reached his destination. The timeline he was literally dragging himself towards so he could see it's contents. The last time he's remotely touched the timeline via Void copies, he was shocked to hear that he was speaking to Asriel telepathically. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy to hear his voice. The feeling was partially neutral. Geno Alphys had come here, and is doing everything in her power in order to screw him over. But he's incredibly confident that it was not going to work. Because he is seemingly going to expose a major flaw in all of their plans...

Key word is _seemingly_.

"Those fools. Trying to bring Asriel into the mix with Geno Frisk's soul. Do they TRULY think that such a small twist will be able to stop me? Geno Alphys didn't learn her lesson." He mumbled, walking down the golden hallway, ignoring the singing birds and blooming flowers. They mean nothing to him. "It doesn't matter what any of them do. I have always won. I WILL always win. They never had a choice."

Chara smirked. "Trying to pull a surprise on me. So I'll just retaliate with one of my own. Asgore would have checked on Toriel to see if she was safe. What an idiot! He left the human souls completely unguarded! I can take their power as an easy replacement for Geno Frisk's. Then wiping everyone out will be even easier than usual. That wasn't very smart." He cackled silently to himself as he continued down one of the other hallways, down to where the human souls were contained. He turned downwards to the stairways, where the capsules were to be. He opened the door and walked inside, looking triumphant...

...only to see Sans alone in the room, hands in his pockets, Papyrus's scarf wrapped around his neck, and gazing at Chara with a triumphant, shit-eating grin.

"SANS!? _**YOU?!**_ "

"heya pal. you look like ya didn't miss me. ya also look pretty pissed about something. heh...must be getting better at my job." Sans responded, dusting off his jacket at the shoulder.

Chara's Real Knife materialized in his hands in a dark red sinister magic flow, and he pointed it at Sans. "Don't toy with me!"

"awww...you don't like it when you're being messed with? i smell irony in the air...it kinda smells like hotdogs...and **sins**." He shrugged. " _buuuuuut_ i don't have a nose, so i wouldn't know for sure."

Chara clenched tightly onto his knife, growing irritated by the second. "I won't give into your little 'game' Sans. I'm sure you of all people have to remember who's _truly_ in control. Where are the human souls?!"

"far away from you.. left an IOUN behind, though. as in _i owe you nothin'._ heh. as for who took 'em...'fraid they're already gone." Sans' eyes hollowed. **"you'll have to leave a message after the ouch."**

"Wh-" Not even a second after, Sans flicked his hand forth, and Chara began glowing blue, then was sent flying backwards, into the wall. He plowed right through the wall, leaving a hole inside, then appeared through the other side, right back into the Judgement Hall. He stumbled a bit before his head hit a pillar, and he immediately grabbed it. "Ouch!" Realization hits. "Oh... _that_ ouch..."

Sans warped into the hall himself, seemingly pleased with the results. "having fun yet? because i am."

"You seem more confident than usual." Chara noted, getting back up and dusting himself off. "Is there any specific reason for that?"

"what? good ol' me? nah. still a sad sack of potatoes, like i've always been." Sans lessened his grin a little, and narrowed his eye sockets. "believe it or not, i'm actually very pissed off. as a matter of fact, i've got a serious _bone_ to pick with ya, kid. gettin' REAL tired of your shit, actually."

"NOW I'm getting on your nerves? I do wonder how that happened."

"oh, you've always got on my nerves. the reason why i'm taking it real seriously this timeline is because of what exactly i've found out, and how it affected the monsters around me. needless to say...well...there are no words to describe how cold-hearted you are."

"How's that? Does it have something to do with why you're wearing Papyrus's scarf?"

Sans tugged onto the cloth in question. "in a way...yeah it does. i'm wearing this for a reason. i look like a badass." he closed his eye sockets and sighed.

 _though there IS a second reason..._

 **(Several Hours Before)**

"alright. it's gettin' close to show time. i wanna look my best." Sans said as he observed himself in the mirror of his room. he was still wearing his usual blue jacket, black shorts, and pink slippers. He changed absolutely nothing about his attire whatsoever. "perfect." Plus he's made sure to have taken quite a long nap so he wouldn't end up falling asleep. All the bombshells dropped back at Alphys's lab left him quite tired. He was energized, in the mental, physical, and emotional sense. It's rare for him to be energized about anything. But the thought of ending the RESETS once and for all, as well as taking out the demon responsible for repeating them through the body of the boy whom he considers one of his best friends...actually filled him with genuine hope.

 _"You just need to stall for time, Sans.. You need to stall Chara for as long as you can. He gets bored easily. Give him a reason not to be. He's an arrogant and cocky little shit that's drunk on his own power, and he wants to sate his own boredom more than anything else. He's a sadist who'll feed on the thrill of a worthy challenge. Because of both of these traits, he'll ignore that something's up for a while, and focus on fighting you, you'll keep him occupied. If he stops being occupied, he'll wander. It's absolutely imperative that you DON'T allow that until everyone's ready."_

That was Geno Alphys's role for the short skeleton. Sans can manage that. He knows that trying for a complete victory was futile, but he can be a damn good distraction if need be.

"SANS..."

The shorter skeleton turned to gaze upon his taller, younger, much cooler brother standing in the doorway. Toriel was right behind him, concerned. He waved. "heya guys. aren't you getting ready?"

"Asgore is ordering the evacuation of the monsters as we speak. They'll be in different safe places which will be defended and enchanced by magic, areas that...Chara...most likely won't be able to break into." He noted how heavily she flinched when she said her son's name. "When Asgore is done, we're taking Asriel, Frisk, and the human souls into the Ruins. I'll close the door behind us, so this may be our last conversation before the chaos begins."

"i guess so. geno alphys's plan requires absolute precision, while at the same time not being too tight. too much or too little attention to one detail will throw us off. she knows chara eventually got bored with repetition. he'll most likely spawn near judgement hall, where i'll be waiting for him." Sans looked towards Papyrus. "i can tell you and undyne are getting ready for your parts. anything to say or do before we get this show on the road?"

"ACTUALLY...I DO." Papyrus walked up to his shorter yet elder brother, kneeled down to meet his height, undid his scarf, and wrapped it around Sans' neck as gently as he could. While the elder skeleton bro was surprised by the action, he didn't reject. Instead he tightened it a bit while looking at Papyrus curiously.

"what's this about, bro? your battle body ain't complete without your signature scarf."

"YOU NEED IT MUCH MORE THAN I DO. MY BATTLE BODY CAN WITHSTAND BEING INCOMPLETE FOR A LITTLE WHILE. I REALLY WANT YOU TO WEAR IT DURING YOUR BATTLE. CONSIDER IT A GOOD LUCK CHARM." Papyrus placed both his hands on Sans' shoulders. "SANS...DESPITE WHAT HAS HAPPENED...DESPITE WHAT I HAVE SEEN...I STILL BELIEVE THAT CHARA CAN BECOME A GOOD PERSON. I STILL BELIEVE HE CAN CHANGE. HOWEVER, THE MEMORIES I SAW MAKE IT CLEAR THAT TRYING TO ENFORCE THIS BELIEF MYSELF WILL ONLY MAKE YOU SUFFER MORE. THUS, I SHALL MAKE MYSELF SCARCE WITH UNDYNE SO THAT YOU'LL HAVE A CLEARER MIND WHEN YOU FIGHT. I DON'T WANT YOU TO WORRY ABOUT ME."

"bro..."

"MY SCARF SHALL FILL YOU WITH RENEWED VIGOR WHENEVER YOU FELL YOURSELF TIRE ON BOTH A PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL LEVEL. IT'LL REMIND YOU OF WHAT YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR. I STICK TO MY MORALS NO MATTER WHAT... HOWEVER, I DO NOT WANT YOU OR ANYONE ELSE TO SUFFER FOR IT ANY LONGER."

Sans lowered his eyes a bit. Papyrus still holds true to his belief. But he realized that there comes a time when talking someone down and hoping that they stop their violence...just won't work. He's had this reality brutally forced into him when he saw his own death in Geno Frisk's memories, now knowing that it's happened so many times...and Sans was forced to watch. He realized that his life was at the mercy of either kind hearted Frisk or cold blooded Chara at any given time, and that Sans was on edge on which one it would be. He wouldn't burden Sans with that horrible foreboding feeling any longer. As much as he wants to be the one who stops Chara's evil by trying to convince him that he can still change...he has to step aside and let his big brother do his job.

So after he showed Geno Frisk's memories to the others, Sans decided he would NEVER forgive Chara for ruining an important part of Papyrus's innocence before he was truly ready, and for killing him multiple times...and it's highly questionable if he'll ever forgive himself, for allowing the latter to happen as many times as it did. It's the job of the older sibling to make sure the ones after them are safe, healthy, and happy. Knowing that he now sucks at that job too...

Papyrus sees the look beginning to dawn on Sans' face, and wraps him up in a hug. "SANS, PLEASE DON'T HATE YOURSELF. YOU'RE MY BROTHER, AND I LOVE YOU WITHOUT QUESTION. IF IT GETS TOO RISKY FOR YOU...PROMISE ME THAT YOU'LL RETREAT AT THE FIRST OPENING."

Sans closed his eye sockets, and returned the embrace. "you got it, bro. and i love you too." They relinquish their embrace, and Papyrus leaves the room. This leaves Sans and Toriel alone. "you wanna say somethin', tori?"

"Yes...I realize I have placed a deep and heavy burden on you. I now understand. When you told me that you are sometimes tempted to break your promise to me...those are the times that Chara was in control, wasn't it?"

Sans shook his head. "nah nah nah, don't you start the self-blame thing again. all three of you dreemurrs are doing it and it's depressin'."

"You contemplated murdering the child that you'd promise me you'd protect..only being forced to break said promise when it's far too late. I now understand why you dislike making promises. Making them is simple. Keeping them is much more difficult. Breaking them is a great stain on your intergrity, which is especially significant as you usually don't have much care for it. So the runs when Papyrus...perishes...your restraint becomes nearly impossible to keep...yet you remained patient. I made you promise me something that is entirely up to chance on your ability to keep it. I'm deeply sorry."

Indeed, the burden he had taken by accepting her promise was extremely taxing on his mind, given the certain variables in play. But...he couldn't say no to her on that day. He had sunken into such a low point of hopelessness that she was the only other person aside from his brother that has kept him from giving up on everything absolutely. They were the two single brightest lights in his seemingly pointless life before Frisk came. So the certain runs where he had stopped hearing her voice on the other side of the door... _gravely_ upset him. But because of his promise...he couldn't do anything about it until he had no choice, in which it was too late to make a big difference.

Sans sighed. "dammit, tori. didn't i just say not to go into the self-blame thing?"

Toriel smiled. "Knock Knock."

"...who's there?"

"Sans."

Now he's confused. "uh...sans who?"

" _Sans_ you, I would have been in a much darker state of mind, being alone in the Ruins without anyone to talk to. Despite what happens to you, and on the extremely rare cases we might see each other face to face...you did your best to keep me happy. And on the timelines where I...perish...you do your best to honor the one and only promise you made to me, despite how much you may suffer from it." She kneeled down to him and picked him up in a warm hug. "Thus, I feel truly blessed to have someone who's as strongly loyal as you to be one of my closest friends." She set him back down, and kissed the top of his skull.

Sans grinned. "heh. you took the introduction of a potential joke and turned it into a really deep compliment. clever girl." He didn't realize his cheekbones were a bit blue...

"And now I know what a blushing skeleton looks like." She giggled playfully. She stood up, dusted herself off, and clasped her paws. "Well, it's about time for me to depart for the Ruins with the others."

"right."

Toriel began walking out the door, before turning around to look at him again. Her eye showed immense concern and heartwrenching pain. Not for herself, but for what she's allowing Sans to do. He knows what she's thinking, and that she's too heartbroken to voice it aloud. The eye contact did it for them. "Sans. Please... _Please_...promise me that you'll be careful."

"man, i'm getting hit with a skele- _ton_ of these promises aren't i?" Sans winked, which brought a small smile on her face again. "but of course, who am i to say no to the queen?"

"Don't promise me because I'm the Queen, Sans. Just like before, promise me...as a friend."

His grin became much softer. "...okay, tori. i promise."

 **(Present)**

"...i know for a fact that this isn't gonna work. but for their sake, i have to at least try." Sans said quietly, as he opened his eye sockets and glared hard at Chara. "ya might wanna stop this little hell-loop you call 'playtime', kid. time and space are not meant to be toys, especially in the hands of a misanthropic bastard like you."

"Oh my. Sans is using big words. How fun." Chara said sarcastically while tilting his head.

"i'm tellin' ya right now, kiddo. stop this madness... **or you're gonna have a bad time.** "

"Ooooh! Bad Time. I'm _soooooo_ scared!" Chara rolled his eyes. "Tch, spare me the theatrics, Sans. I know you inside out. I've battled you thousands of times. Eventually I've found out for every trick, and victory became easier and easier. There's absolutely _nothing_ you can do or say that I haven't heard already."

"really? how about your status of being a **dirty brother killer** on _**two fronts**_ instead of just one?"

Chara's smile actually WIDENS from this. "Oh! You found out what happens at the end! That's such a spoiler. I didn't think you'd find out about that. Asriel must have looked deep into Geno Frisk's memories." He narrowed his eyes. "It serves that traitor right."

Sans felt his left eye beginning to glow. **"you've taken an entirely new level in heartless. you're tryin' to tell me that you've murdered your ENTIRE FAMILY, the ones that took you in and loved you as one of their own, who knows how many times...and _none of that bothers you?!"_**

"Why should it? They'll be alive and well in the next RESET. And the one after that. And the one after that." Black ooze began streaming from his eyes. **"And the one after THAT. And the one after _THAT_...hell, the entire UNIVERSE is under my control! And there's nothing humans or monsters alike can do to wrench it away from me. The very _second_ Geno Frisk gained his first LV up, _I've already won._ And I'll keep winning. For _alllllll_ of eternity. Because there is no one strong enough to do anything about it, AND THERE NEVER WILL BE. And the only thing I have to do to make this pattern absolute...is to kill YOUR Frisk. The last and therefore Prime Frisk. After him, no more of ANY version will exist. There will just me. And in the end...that's all that really matters. Always thought he was a fashion copy-cat, anyway."**

Sans sighs, relaxing his shoulders. "so that's how it is, huh? you've lost any and all logical or at the very least _justified_ reasons for playing with the laws of the universe. nope. time and space is just one big playground for you. you really are a freak."

"And if so? What are you going to do about it? And are you supposed to get stronger wearing your brother's scarf?"

"well, it means you're a total piece of shit on ALL accounts. i'm gonna dunk you, that's what. and as for the last one...let's find out." his eye sockets closed. "and as for this timeline...the things that your actions did that will forever cement you as irredeemable in my eyes. they involve the three people i care about the most."

"I'm taking a mental guess on who they are." Chara scoffed, and twirled his Real Knife. It began crackling with dark red magic. "You're the biggest threat to me. Unlike Asriel, you and Undyne are the only ones who won't give me any slack. Even if I DO know your every move, why take the chance?"

"heh. you're a cheeky brat. you've forgotten how much you feared me the very first time we fought." Sans' left eye glows cyan once more, and his grin turns sadistic. **"looks like i have to beat that fear back into ya."**

Immediately afterwards, Chara was forced into the ground as he felt the gravity in the Judgement Hall get several times heavier. He faceplanted, yelping angrily from the sudden pain in his nose. He managed to gain enough strength to force his head up and glare at Sans, who was still smiling calmly, while his glowing left eye is showing copious amounts of righteous _**fury**_.

He slowly raised his right leg, bringing a look of confusion to Chara's face. Sans only grinned wider. The moment he released his telekinetic hold on the boy, his right leg glowed blue, and he swung it right into his face, greatly bruising his face as he was sent spiraling into the wall. Dust clouded the spot for a while as Sans brought his leg down, Papyrus's scarf flowing from the wind the impact created. Chara jumped out from the dust easily enough, seemingly dusting himself off without a care in the world.

"Gotta say, I didn't expect you to get physical. Used that power of yours to cover your leg so it doesn't get messed up kicking me."

"what can i say? can't repeat the same thing every time. so i'm mixing it up, keeping you on your toes. i'm sure you'll be interested." _because if he loses interest, it'll lead to a seriously bad time for us instead of him._ "that's probably gonna be the only time i do that, though. that took a lot outta me."

"How saddening." Chara grinned, rushing forth like a blur and slashing at Sans, only for him to sidestep with ease.

"you still haven't learned yet? i'm not about to just stand here and take it."

"I know." The boy stopped on a heel, twisted a bit, and lunged at Sans before he could finish his sidestep. To his shock, a bone glowing blue blocked the blow before it could hit it's target.

"i literally _just_ told ya. i'm not about to just take it like a chump." Sans said as bones rose up, forcing Chara to jump backwards repeatedly to avoid the barrage. though he was thrown off as he tripped and a sharper bone shot for and lightly cut through his shoulder. He shrugged it off and swung the Real Knife to the side, causing most of the bones to be sliced in half from the red crescent magic slash that came from it. Sans saw the magic attack, and sidestepped it swiftly, watching it make a crescent shaped hole in the wall. "that's new."

"I got some practice in."

"weird. so did i, but more in the mental sense. my focus got a bit more _bone-sharp_ , ya see." more bones manifested around him, and shot towards Chara in a relentless barrage. Chara ran in a tight circle, dodging a majority of the bones being shot towards him, at one point even running across the wall, building enough strength in his legs to push off the wall and attempt another slash at Sans. Though Sans simply teleports out of the way as his left hand glows cyan, and he thrusts it downwards. Chara was mercilessly smashed into the ground, creating a small circular crater. Easily shaking it off, the child jumped back up to slash at Sans again, which again, was blocked by a stronger bone. Once again, with a flick of Sans' wrist, Chara was sent flying to the other side of the room, recovering with a twist in the air and landing on his feet.

Though he felt heavier again, as he tried to stay standing. He looked at his left hand and realized that he was surrounded in a purple aura. Karmic Retribution.

"the heavier the sins, the more restraining karmic retribution gets. and _woo boy_ , your sins are HEAVY." Sans grinned while smirking down on the child.

Immediately afterwards, a Gaster Blaster manifests near the ceiling, and fires it's particle blast down on the restrained opponent. Chara glared at Sans hatefully before being engulfed by the blasts, screaming as severe burns appearing over his body and tore up his shirt and pants, as well as hair lightly setting in fire.

Sans calls off the blast and watched Chara slump forward, face planting the ground. His soul, _somehow_ becoming darker than black, appeared over his head, cracked in two, and the big-boned skeleton expected it to shatter, prompting Chara to LOAD and try again. To his shock, the soul actually pulled back together, and seeped back into Chara's body. The boy then rose back up as his clothes were good as new and his burns were healed. His blood and the smaller wounds still remained though.

Chara easily saw the shock on Sans' face, and taunted him with a wide smile: **"But it refused..."**

Sans took a couple moments to process this, his grin lessening slightly, before shaking his head and calming down. _easy sans. ya knew this was gonna be rough. ya just didn't know it would be STUPID rough. though i gotta admit...i might be in trouble._ "that's, uh...a neat trick you learned, kiddo."

"Undyne did teach me one beneficial skill through her transformation. If one's **DETERMINATION** is powerful enough, they can literally refuse death and get a bit of a power boost, like she did. It's just a shame her magical physiology can't handle it for extended periods of time. **But mine can."**

 _great. so the more i kill him, the stronger he gets. fuck me, right?_ Sans sighed. _and yet, on the other hand..._

Bones manifested around Chara. A large one shot into his midsection, knocking the air out of him and sending him airborne and glowing with Karmic Retribution. Then another large bone swung and knocked him into the walls, forming yet another crater, and he tumbled onto the ground. He gasped to regain breath, before regaining balance and staring at Sans in a bit of surprise.

"Wow. You must be more idiotic than I took you for. I know you figured out what's going on, and yet you're continuing to beat down on me with extreme prejudice. Why?"

"kid. at this point, i really don't care about that. i'm not worried about you being stronger than me anymore. because i know i'm just strong enough to make sure you never get off scott-free again." A bone formed over his head and shot it's way through Chara's chest. Result was a bit of convulsion of blood before he forcefully pulled it out and threw it against the ground, and the hole disappeared after that. "plus, you're telling me that you're now able to take the wrath i can dish out. so thanks for that." Flicking his hand again, Chara was rocketed into another pillar, head-first. Result was an agonizing headache. Then he was thrown back into the wall again, this time Sans warped right in front of him, staring him down with his cyan left eye as Papyrus's scarf flowed with the wind from outside.

The scarf made him look more menacing than Chara expected.

"i gotta know. why'd ya do it? what was the point?"

Chara ignored the question, knowing _exactly_ what Sans was implying, and swung the Real Knife in a sideways arc. Sans warped away, leaving the magical slash to slice through the wall. Sans was still staring at Chara with an intense questioning glare. He swung again, only to miss as Sans sidestepped. In retaliation, a sharp bone sliced at Chara's arm, sending waves of pain through his being and sending more spiritually painful waves of Karmic Retribution through his body. But he only gritted his teeth and glared hatefully at Sans.

"your life must have been pretty bad for you to hate humans as intensely as you did. you went and fell down into the underground, where asriel found you. he took ya back to the castle, introduced you to his folks, they adopted you with fully open and loving arms. a sweet happy adoption story, right? a family that loves you with all their heart, that's all you really needed, right? hehehehe...no." He swiped his hand to the side, smashing him into the pillar. "of course not. that wasn't enough for you. you decided to be an ungrateful little _shit_." He swiped to the other side, smashing him into the wall. "laughing off poisoning your pops while your brother and mother were crying with concern? tricking said little brother into a plot involving your little buttercup stunt that the whole family was forced to watch helplessly, slaughtering your human village in order to kickstart a second war, which failed and got said brother _killed?_ that second one pissed the monsters AND asgore off, declaring that all humans that fall from that point on are dead on sight and their souls taken in order to restart the war...including the souls of kids. toriel wasn't happy about that, and stormed off, leaving us with one ruler who can barely stand the weight of his own sins, even if he wasn't the one to directly do the deeds." He slams him back down, hearing the body creak a little after impact. All Chara did was spit blood out and stare at Sans carelessly.

"Is this getting anywhere, Sans?"

"toriel was alone, asgore was feeling like a complete failure, and asriel was reincarnated as a soulless time hopping flower. needless to say, i blame you for all of them." His eyes hollowed. **"your inability to let go of a grudge tore the dreemurrs apart in the most heartrendingly painful way possible, and turned the underground into a hellhole."**

Sans took a break from speaking and shot his hand up, Chara following right after. His back hits the ceiling hard, and he flinched greatly from the pain.

"and if THAT wasn't enough for you, you decide to come back and manipulate frisk into doing what you want. the timelines vary on how much you succeed or not." He brings the hand back down and slams Chara into the ground, erupting a pained growl from the child, and several pieces of debris from the floor. "the times you completely took control. first you killed your mother toriel. then you killed my brother papyrus. then undyne. then muffet. mettaton. me. your father asgore. and finally you cut down your own brother _repeatedly_ , knowing full well what has happened to him was YOUR fault. **then you RESET the timeline and then do it all again and again! how many timelines have to be destroyed before you STOP?!** " A large bone manifested from the ceiling and shot down onto Chara's back with a _BOOM!_ echoing throughout the hallway. The impact made Chara cough blood from the agonizing pain, made worse by Karmic Retribution.

"you betrayed toriel, the mother who wholeheartedly loved you." BOOM! Blood. "you betrayed asgore, the father who wholeheartedly accepted you." BOOM! More blood. A bit of it spattered near Sans' feet. He barely noticed. "you betrayed asriel, the brother who looked up to you and thought of you as the friend and sibling he was always wishing for. hell, his entire reason for being evil as flowey is not only from being soulless, but he just COULDN'T bring himself to let go of you. that kid went through unimaginable amounts of hell because of you. ALL of them did." BOOM!

Chara's soul split again, only to pull back together again and sink into his body. He recovered quickly, most of his wounds partially healed, and he cracked his neck. "Hmmm..."

"that's not even the worst part. the worst part about it is that even after i showed them just exactly how you killed them, how you betrayed them with no remorse whatsoever...they still can't bring themselves to hate you. they're more willing to take the sins that every monster of the underground committed, combined, including the sins YOU committed, and carry that burden all on themselves. asriel's even saying that everything bad that's happened: the six dead children, the RESETS, your sinister deeds, frisk's suffering, his parent's divorce, the entire underground's suffering, EVERYTHING. he's trying to take the blame for all of it. even if he is a bit wise for his age, he's still just a kid, a better one than you. and it's because of that that he can't handle the burden of all of those horrible things that happened. he thinks he's failed everyone and everything because he couldn't make you happy. none of the dreemurrs can bring even a single microscopic piece of their being to hate you. they just love you too damn much. your entire existence is beginning to bring them agony because of how much they still love you. they'd rather blame everything that's happened on themselves than to actually hate you. can you believe that?"

Sans' eye glows cyan with rage. **"you took their love and hospitality and basically threw it back in their faces, despite how much they persistently continue to try and give it back to you. then when your plans didn't work out, you decide to take your anger out on existence itself. all because you couldn't just cut your losses and accept the second chance you've gotten...and clearly _wasted_." ** He once again threw Chara forward, into the path of a Gaster Blaster. It fired immediately, sending Chara into the other end of the hall, in a burned heap. The child got up, rejuvenated, as his split soul came together again. "in short, almost EVERY negative aspect of the underground's problems is your damn fault. and i won't let you get away with it anymore.'

"You wanna play the blame game? Who exactly was it who would have killed Frisk the moment he left the Ruins if it weren't for 'Mother' making you promise not to?" Chara smiled. "You monsters are not innocent. Nor are the humans. Both of you are stained with sins that can't be wiped away by any means. All of you can't be trusted. You'll backstab the first chance you get, the moment they're defenseless, when it's best convenient for you. Both sides are slated with evil. So you can blame me all you want, just remember who killed six kids and repeatedly tried to kill Frisk, no matter what good, justified reason you may have. The humans did you injustice, so you did them injustice right back." He folded his arms a little. "Kill Or Be Killed, Sans. That's the only way ANYONE can function when placed in a dangerous situation. Even Frisk is not immune to this, when he's given no other choice."

"...unlike you, Frisk showed us mercy no matter how much pain he endured. he's a kid we're now willing to protect with everything we've got. asriel included." He mumbled. "we don't deserve someone as kind and merciful as frisk..."

"Mercy...something NONE of you deserve. _ESPECIALLY_ Asriel!" Chara dashed forward, slashing his knife at Sans once again, who defended with a short wall of bones. "You want someone to blame, blame the Prince of Monsters! He's killed more times and more monsters as Flowey than I ever have on any run!" He began lunging harder, his grin widening. "Asriel is the biggest sinner of us all, Sans, and you know it. Hell, even HE knows it! It's best of I kill him myself, to bring all sides of the conflict justice. What makes it sweeter is that I know he won't stop me. He'll take the knife to the heart and he won't even lift a finger. He can't bring himself to harm his big brother, regardless of what he may have said to you."

"no way, pal." Sans manifested a Gaster Blaster over Chara's head and shot it quickly. He was ready this time, and dodged by shifting sideways. More Gaster Blasters were summoned, rapidly shooting their lasers at Chara, who continued to avoid them with increasing ease.

"Do NOT try to stop me, Sans! This entire thing is Asriel's fault, not mine! Had he just did what I told him, six innocent kids wouldn't have had to die for his weakness! His punishment should be death! I'll be doing the whole world a favor by erasing him from the face of time! " His grin widens even more. **"And this time I'll make sure he NEVER comes back!"**

"let me make it clear in case you didn't hear me...i will NOT let that happen." Bones appeared and shot at Chara, who began slicing them half with renewed strength and hatred powering him. Though one managed to smash into his face, giving him a black eye. But he remains undeterred.

"Come now, Sans. You know how much I LOVE my dear brother. I know he can never forgive himself for the sins he's committed. Honestly, I'll be doing him a favor. Permanent death will be his only way of repentance. Just to be fair, I'll have Frisk follow him, so he won't be lonely."

"now you're threatening both frisk AND asriel. that's a big hell no." Sans said lowly as five Gaster Blasters blinked into existence and fired at Chara repeatedly. The dark-aura child dodged three of them with ease, before being engulfed once again by two of the blasts, once again incinerating him and sparking him with powerful doses of Karmic Retribution. Sans then threw him into pillars, then began throwing him around against all of them, all without changing his expression of calm rage.

Chara managed to catch himself and toss his knife at Sans, who sidestepped to dodge it. It immediately flew back to Chara, by the handle. "Say what you will. It won't change the fact that today will be Asriel's PERMANENT execution day. No one can stay innocent forever. Not Asriel. Not even Papyrus. Speaking of which..." His smiled became twisted. "How does it feel? It's the job of the older brother to protect the siblings that come after him. How many times have you absolutely FAILED at that job, all because you _promised_ to protect the next human that comes? The human that killed your brother who knows how many times? You're an utter failure as a promise keeper, Sans. And an even worse big brother. You could have saved the Underground yourself a hundred times over with the knowledge you have...oh wait, you didn't. Because you've become a lazy bag of bones who doesn't move a significant bone in your body until it's too late to make a difference."

Sans clenched his bony fists, Papyrus's scarf still flowing with the wind, as Gaster Blasters blinked into existence again and continued to fire. Chara continued to dodge, it's getting easier for him. "yeah. you're right. i'm utter garbage. but who says i can't try and do better?" One bone manages to trip Chara, and he was smashed into the ground by a larger one. Then he rrecovered quickly and shook his head.

"Drop the act, Sans. No one can just 'do better'. None of you will be forgiven. NONE OF YOU. All your sins were far too knee-deep to try to redeem yourselves LONG before I was even born, so blaming me for all of your problems is cowardly. You're best just disappearing away in the Underground, while the humans continue to slaughter one another. It's what they're best at. The ones who hold all the power gets to make all the rules. I'm planning on rewriting every rue in existence to fit my needs. As for Asriel..."

"damn, kid. you must really hate your little brother. ya know...the one who wants to fight you least of all?"

"Whether or not he fights doesn't matter to me. I prefer if he does, if only for the challenge. But if he can't give me that, I'm more than happy with just dusting him." Chara said nonchalantly. "Traitors deserve mercy least of all."

"irony is such a powerful word, isn't it? none of us are immune to it." Moe bones shot forth, in sharper points, and three Gaster Blasters manifested and fired at their target. Chara is greatly strained, but is able to handily avoid a majority of the onslaught before stopping in front of a pillar.

"Forgiveness for either humans or monsters is impossible. They ALL need to die. I have the power and the **DETERMINATION** to make that happen. And Asriel will be the first major step towards that goal. Fitting since he's the Prince, right? And how disappointing for him. He _just_ got his body back, too...so that'll be a major disappointment."

 _little creep..._ Sans stood a bit straighter, ready to summon more Gaster Blasters. But Chara rose a hand up. "

"Alright, that's enough. I've had my fun with you. And with that, you'll have to be moved aside."

"heh. what makes ya think i'll just let ya pass?" He said while sweating a bit. He didn't know if he bought enough time or not. He wasn't willing to find out. Unfortunately, Chara was onto him.

"Quite easy. Since Asgore isn't in the throne room, the human souls are gone therefore I have no use for this place, and you've been fighting me this entire time despite knowing you can't win in the long run, can only mean one thing...you're a decoy. You're distracting me from something." Chara smiled. "What'd ya plan for me? A birthday party? A prank? An ambush? Something or someone that's supposed to stop me?"

"nah kid. i'm just trying to prevent you from going on another murder-spree. can't have that. plus there's the killing intent you're purposely aiming towards asriel...again, can't allow that."

"Really? Because by the looks of things, you're more than willing to help me with my goals."

"what kind of-" Sans was starting out, but then he froze as severe pain begin burning in his chest. slowly tilting his head downwards, he found a sharp bone had been shot straight through his chest. he slowly turned around to see who made the attack without his notice. There stood a much bleaker, much more grey version of Sans, who had his hood over his head and his left eye was glowing grey instead of cyan. The real Sans chuckled, even has red liquid escaped his teeth. "silent but deadly...void sans. heh...gotta say...i really overlooked that little new power of yours..."the bone disappeared, and Sans fell to his knees as a red spot began growing around his chest. He pushed Papyrus's scarf upwards as high as he could. He doesn't dare let the liquid stain it.

Chara walked up to his weakened state with a tilted head, as Void Sans was temporarily decommissioned. "Say...how do skeletons bleed, anyway?"

"ha...haven't ya heard of... _bone-marrow...?_ heh...hehe..."

"Really? You're making jokes even when you're about to die?"

"ya want me to just...go away quietly...? hehe...no _shanks..._ "

"Please accept the fact that your puns suck, and just _die_."

"that wasn't very _knife_..."

"Damn you."

"i'll be here all _weak_...and kinda dyin'..."

"Oh God, just STOP!"

"actually...i would love to _spill_ my guts to ya...but it looks like i gotta _split_...seeya on the flipside, home _slice_..."

"...Killing you now. Throwing up later." Chara raised his Real Knife over his head, as it gathered and glowed sickly read. Sans closed his eyes, accepting his loss, too weakened to warp away.

 _i couldn't get out of this alive...i really am i promise breaker...and a terrible brother. paps...tori. i'm sorry. it looks like...this is it...for good..._

Before Chara could land the killing blow, an intense wave of heat struck his back, and he screeched from pain as he dropped the knife. Before he could see who it was, he was struck with a colorful bolt of lightning that sent lightning throughout his entire body. His body was sizzling from the combination of flames and lightning, and his body was covered in soot. He weakly looked up to see that the skeleton in front of him had disappeared, and he turned around to see Asriel, hunching Sans over his body, leading him away.

"Come on, Sans. You did the best you could. We gotta get you out of here." He said softly as he began carrying him away.

"Asriel...Dreemurr..." Chara grunted as he fell forward. He looked up just in time to meet the Prince's eye when said Dreemurr turned around to his gaze. Cold and hateful eyes met saddened and tearful ones. "...I...WILL... _ **ERASE YOU!**_ "

Asriel's eyes teared up even more. This was officially the very first time they've seen each other in centuries as themselves, in their original bodies, well almost original for Chara's case. Nonetheless, Asriel was greatly hurt by the death threat being the first thing he says to him face-to-face. Despite what he had said earlier...now was not the time for their talk. He watched as Chara completely fell to the ground, unconscious. Immediately, Void versions of their friends began manifesting automatically, in order to guard their unconscious Master. He wiped his tears away, held out his paw as small sparkles of magic began sprouting from it, and attaching to Sans.

"The wound isn't fatal anymore but it could still tear you apart if forced, so don't move too much, Sans. I'm gonna warp us back to the Ruins. Mom will fix you up." Asriel whispered as he got ready for the jump, while Sans was looking at Asriel in shock. He managed to spare just enough magic for his wound to heal enough to keep him from turning to dust, and he's using the shortcuts deal like Sans does?

 _maybe the weed was onto something...is asriel getting more powerful...?_ Sans thought, right before he felt the shifts of reality, and the two of them disappeared from the Judgement Hall, leaving Chara alone...

 **(The Ruins)**

Toriel was pacing back and forth in intense concern, while Frisk was standing by and watching her with just as much concern. It had happened so suddenly. They were preparing themselves as Geno Alphys was telling them to. All of the monsters have been evacuated to safer locations that Chara cannot reach thanks to magic enhancements, so the distraction Sans provided was a success. Though Asriel had suddenly stood up and sensed something seriously wrong, and warped out of the room after he said that he needed to get to Sans quickly. She became intensely worried about what could have happened.

Her worries were proven correct when Asriel warps back into the room, carrying the severely injured Sans. She got up immediately and rushed towards him, picking him up from Asriel's grip. She took him into one of the bigger rooms of the house and placed him on the bed. She sighed while wiping a tear away. "You silly skeleton...you promised me you'd be careful..."

"this promise being broken...wasn't intentional...the kid caught me off guard in a way that i totally overlooked." he said, his voice a bit hoarse. "shoulda known...that the brat...would still be a dirty cheater...just like...me...heh...what are the odds..." He slowly turned to Asriel and Flowey, the latter having just emerged from the ground. Slowly, he removed Papyrus's scarf from his neck, and handed it to the flower. "make sure...that gets back...to...pap..." His hand went limp, as the scarf landed in Flowey's vines. Frisk ran up to check on him as well, but was gently stopped by Toriel.

"He is fine, Frisk. He merely lost consciousness. I should be able to fix a majority of the damage..." she shook her head. "Asriel. You should probably get ready...it's about time."

"Y-Yeah...wish me luck. Come on, Frisk." Asriel sighed as he and Frisk reluctantly left the room.

Toriel turned her attention to Sans and placed her paws just over his wound, and they began to glow. She could see that his face was still a bit contorted with anger. Most likely on the Dreemurrs behalf. "Oh Sans...you were trying to defend our name, weren't you? I consider that very loyal of you, but I don't want it to cost you your life. Now Papyrus is gong to be worried sick, just like I am." She said softly while her eyes slowly slid closed while she concentrated. They slid back open quickly when she realized her healing was doing better than she expected, only to see that Asgore had placed his paws over her own extending his magic to her healing magic. She almost asked why he was doing this, then remembered how they can usually tell what the other is thinking just by eye contact.

"Any friend of yours is a friend of mine. I need no other reason." With these words, a small smile graced Toriel's face, a smile that made him blush slightly. He regained focus long enough to continue to help her heal Sans.

Outside, Asriel stood outside, on the bed of flowers that each of the children have fallen onto to cushion their fall, including Frisk. Above them, were the six human souls.

 **Patience.**

 **Bravery.**

 **Integrity.**

 **Perseverance.**

 **Kindness.**

 **Justice.**

And then there was Asriel's new soul and Frisk's own soul, the souls of **DETERMINATION.**

"Chara will be coming for me, soon.' Asriel said quietly. "...I don't know if this will work, Frisk...but we have to try. For everyone's sake." He took a deep breath, then let it out deeply, clearing his chest of hesitation. With this, he sat down on the flowers, clasped his paws, closed his eyes, and concentrated. His red soul of **DETERMINATION** began to glow brightly, as well as Frisk's. The other souls reacted to his and Frisk's glowing souls, and began glowing brightly as well. Until at last, a bright flash emgulfed the entire room, sinking them into a bright light.

 **(?)**

Asriel and Frisk opened their eyes after the light died down...or at least they thought it died down. They were completely surrounded by a large space of whiteness that went on forever. Asriel stood up, after helping Frisk stand. They looked around for a couple moments, seeing nothing but endless white.

"Frisk...did...did we do it right?" Asriel asked, unsure of how to proceed. Frisk turned around a bit, and tugged on Asriel's shirt, pointing behind him. He turned around to follow Frisk's gaze, and was surprised by what he saw. "It's...it's them..."

The soul of **Patience** levitates over a girl with long black hair, blue overalls and a red striped shirt, with the Toy Knife in her pocket and the Faded Ribbon in her hair.

The soul of **Bravery** levitates over a boy who was completely bald, in a sort of orange striped training gi, wearing the Tough Gloves on his hands and Manly Bandanna around his forehead.

The soul of **Integrity** levitates over a girl with short cream hair and mostly clear skin wearing the Ballet Shoes and the pink striped Old Tutu. In this realm it didn't look so old anymore.

The soul of **Perseverance** levitates over a girl with carefully braided blonde hair, wearing a long-sleeved green and blue striped sweater, holding the Torn Notebook in her left arm as she adjusted the Cloudy Glasses so she could see better. The Torn Notebook looked clean and good as new.

The soul of **Kindness** levitates over a boy who's wearing a chef's outfit, a hat preventing anything above his forehead from being seen, white and grey striped short sleeved shirt, holding the Burnt Pan in his right arm, and wearing the Stained Apron. It no longer looked stained, and was very clean to the point of shining brilliantly.

And finally, the soul of **Justice** levitates over a boy in a western cowboy outfit, with the Empty Gun in his holster, and the Cowboy Hat over his head that covered most of his chocolate brown hair, making him look a bit mysterious, but not by much. He's also the first one to address Asriel.

"Asriel and Frisk Dreemurr, huh? Good. We've been expecting the two of you for quite a while."

The former swallowed the lump in his throat, pulling on the collar of his shirt. He also blushed a tiny bit when he also referred to Frisk as a Dreemurr...their bond must be more obvious than he thought. "You...you were...?"

"Indeed we were." The girl with the soul of **Perseverance** said as she adjusted her glasses a bit more. "We have a lot to talk about, starting with-"

"Ooooooh! He's so _fluffy-looking_!" The girl with the soul of **Integrity** said excitedly as she stared at Asriel with sparkling eyes. "Hey, Asriel! Can...can I pet you? I'm sorry, you just look so cuddly and adorable!" The sudden and unexpected attention, including the _type_ of attention that was brought on him, made him blush.

The girl with the soul of **Patience** merely watched with a small smile. "There goes our attempt at sounding serious...oh well..."

* * *

 **Asriel:*rubs neck* Um...the Human Souls...er...the ones I absorbed in another timeline like multiple times...wow...this might become a bit...awkward.**

 **Me: Oh very much so. But on the bright side, the soul of Integrity seems to appreciate how adorable you are!**

 **Frisk backs this up by cheerfully hugging the Prince from behind, causing him to blush brightly.**

 **Asriel: F-Frisk...!**

 **Me: Ah...nothing like some off-set bro-fluff to reduce the amount of darkness in my brain while writing this chapter...**

 ***CRASH***

 **Asgore: Um...I was told to punch the review box...I don't think I did it right...**

 **Alphys and Geno Alphys: *Facepalm and Sweatdrop* Asgore, Oh My God...**

 **Me: Annnnnnnnnd the darkness returns. Nice. Sans distracted Chara long enough for the monsters to make a full-scale evacuation, but is now out of commission for the time being. Also, Asriel and Chara meet truly face to face for the first time in years... the latter REALLY wants him dead. Poor, poor goat bro. ;w;**

 **Until next time!**


	19. The Six Children, And The Will To SAVE

**Me:...**

 **Asriel:...**

 **Me:...**

 **Asriel: Um...is there a reason why you're so qui-**

 **Frisk glomps him from behind. They're both happy with this.**

 **Me: One thing clear. No human souls back stories. Not here. I can't trust myself to do it right and convincingly. Heck, I dunno if you'll even like how I portrayed them. The good news is that they assist in finishing the final stage of Asriel's character development...at least for this story. And it helps in making him make the hardest choice, one than many, especially Sans, would likely disagree with. I REALLY struggled with how I wanted for this to end... But I've made my final choice, and I'm sticking to it.**

 **Flowey: They're gonna hate it.**

 **Me: You don't know that!**

 **...Ben doesn't sound as sure as he appears...but he does childishly approve of the factor of anime being real. As this chapter shows.**

 **(Good lord...I bested the previous chapter in word count. That one had around 9,300 words. This one has about 9,700...too much DETERMINATION, perhaps? Who knows?)**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

Asriel and Frisk have taken a drastic dare of affecting the future permanently. The six children that perished in the Underground for their souls, a crime that Asgore could and would never forgive himself for. Though Asriel was still feeling devastated for being one of the reasons why the monsters were instigating such a scheme in the first place. Now these six children were standing before them, their consciousness are revived due to the combined **DETERMINATION** of both Frisk and Asriel. Now...they could actually speak to these six children and request their help. Her and ever, they're certainly shocked to find out that the six children have been _watching_ them both for a very long time. And now...now they were about to have a rather serious discussion on what they would be expected to do next about their current situation.

...though the soul of **Integrity** had other ideas for the moment.

"Your fur is so fuzzy~" She said while sitting next to Asriel, hugging and nuzzling one of his floppy ears. The look on his face clearly expresses that he's incredibly embarrassed about this, but didn't have the heart to tell her to stop. Thus, was helpless to her constant petting for the time being.

What makes it a bit worse was that Frisk did a brief thumbs up as if to agree. "You're not helping, Frisk." Asriel comically deadpanned.

"Verena. Quite messing around and get serious!" The soul of **Justice** chastised her, folding his arms.

"Hey, I am being serious! I'm totally serious about Asriel being so cute and cuddly!" She squealed while hugging the Prince.

"Ugh..."

"*Ahem*...It seems like Verena is insistent on clinging to Asriel. Nothing we can do about that right now." The soul of **Perseverance** stated while adjusting her glasses. "At the very least we'll introduce ourselves before we lose track. As our friend just stated, the girl clinging to you, the soul of **Integrity** , is Verena."

"Nice to cuddle you!" She said while continuing to nuzzle Asriel.

"And the one with the soul of **Justice** is Justin."

"Hey."

"The soul of **Patience** is Lizzie."

"Hello there."

"The soul of **Bravery** is Ace."

"I'm practically the most manly of the bunch."

"...yeaaaaaaah...no. Just because you're wearing something called a Manly Bandanna, doesn't make you manly." She shook her head slowly, prompting him to comically glare at her. She ignored him. "And the soul of **Kindness** is Richard."

He briefly removed his chef hat. "Quite an honor to meet you, Prince Asriel."

"T-There's no need for that. Just Asriel will do." Asriel waved his paw, blushing.

"As for me, the soul of **Perseverance** , I am Lisa. Should be easy for you to remember." She nodded towards Frisk. "And you're child number eight, possessing the soul of **DETERMINATION** like Chara Dreemurr. Frisk Dreemurr. Fitting name. Means to frolic, or to skip or leap very playfully. Those words are pretty much how we describe you in a Pacifist Run."

"H-Huh? You know...?" Asriel asked, his eyes wide with surprise.

"We told you. We were watching you both. It's just that...we couldn't really do anything other than that." She explained. "Of course we were just souls, but our consciousness was still very much intact. We weren't in pain or anything like that. We were just...stuck here, watching events play out for the two of you. Many interesting things happen between the two of you...and that's not a completely good thing."

"First off...dude. Asriel. You've seen and been through a lot of stuff you REALLY didn't deserve." Ace folded his arms. "I mean, the whole being killed for your 'friend' thing. The being reincarnated as an unfeeling flower thing. The whole RESET thing. Then there's that blasted Genocide Run..."

"In short, fate decided to deal you a very, _very, **very**_ bad hand. You didn't deserve any of this. You were a kid, monster or not, just like us. And yet..." Justin clenched his fists, though Lizzie placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"As Justin said, you've been dealt a very tragic hand, Asriel. It seriously made a couple of us cry. Someone as kind-hearted as you didn't deserve what happened to you." Lisa said sadly.

Asriel lowered his eyes halfway. "You all...are feeling bad for me? Even after what's happened to all of you? Especislly since what happened to you is my fault, too?"

There was a brief pause.

"...We'll get to that in a moment. Since, ya know, the fate of time and space is at stake here, and we don't want to take up too much of your time" Ace said. "You summoned us because you needed our help. That's a major difference between you and your other self, Flowey. He just absorbed us for his own purposes, though at the time it was the only way to bring your true form back to the surface."

Frisk noted that Asriel's true form no longer needed seven souls, or at least the power of seven souls. He only needed one to regain his true form, even if it was from another timeline.

"Yes, that's something we found very interesting." Lisa adjusted her glasses and opened her New Notebook(Frisk decided to call it that since it's not old anymore...why not?) and showed it to them. To Asriel and Frisk's surprise, she's been taking notes of their entire adventure. "You'd be surprised by how useful a notebook not restrained by the physics of the real world can be. I have like multiple time lines of notes in here. Including the timeline that you're currently in." She turned it back towards herself. "So my hypothesis was that while our souls are indeed powerful in their own rights, they pale in comparison to a soul of **DETERMINATION**."

"Because Frisk and Chara's souls allow them to LOAD, SAVE, AND RESET. Something none of the other souls have the high enough **DETERMINATION** to do so. Thus, we stayed deceased." Richard nodded.

"Since a soul of **DETERMINATION** is the most powerful of them all, even if it's from another timeline, it's the only one Asriel needed to regain his true form AND separate himself as a different being from Flowey." Verena explained while still nuzzling Asriel's cheek.

"It turns out that Frisk's **DETERMINATION** surpasses every other human on the planet! Well...except for Chara's. And now yours, Asriel." Ace turned to him. "With you absorbing the soul of Geno Frisk, your **DETERMINATION** is now on par with the both of them. It's why Chara can't RESET while he's in this timeline. Neither can you."

"We can't?!"

"You and Frisk desire peace and prosperity between humans and monsters. Chara wants to wipe them all out. These goals of yours clash so powerfully that none of you can LOAD, SAVE, OR RESET. Fortunately, though there is a balance of power between you, the advantage is on your side. Chara can't take control of anything with you two having the same goal in mind that clashes with his, so he wants to wipe you out." Ace said.

"While you two aren't the most experienced fighters since you both dislike conflict, you _are_ the biggest threats to him. He knows that the two of you have the will to stop him and the power to do so. He wants to eliminate you before you can try." Richard explained.

"That's why he said he wants to erase us...we're the only ones left who can truly stand up to and even stop him in the long run." Asriel breathed slowly. "Though he's aiming a majority of his hatred towards me...as he should be." Asriel sighed as he hunched up and hugged his legs. "He's really fallen far..."

"It's quite telling how someone of Chara's magnitude can produce so much hatred. He's an anomaly of his own right because of how powerful his hatred is. Especially since that hatred is powerful enough to radically damage and ultimately erase timeliness. We've seen it happen so many times, seen him destroy the world so many times since his hatred is just that strong. And from all of those points, we couldn't do anything about it...until now. Due your interference, we have a chance to change that!" Lisa blinked a little bit when she realized that Asriel was still looking into his lap, refusing to face anyone. "Asriel...?"

The small goat child was shaking a bit as Frisk placed a hand on his shoulder. He lifted his head a bit, revealing that he was crying. Verena responded instantly by pulling him into another hug. "Asriel? What's the matter, my sweet little cinnamon roll?"

"Really?" Ace raised a questioning eyebrow. Verena merely stuck her tongue at him and focused on Asriel for the most part.

Asriel sniffles a little bit, trying to wipe his tears away. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

Richard blinked. "I don't understand, Asriel. What are you apologizing for?"

"It's just that...since you've been watching me for such a long time...you're aware of everything that's happened between timeliness, right? The things that happened...you discovered a lot of things...about Frisk...about Chara...about me...and about the monsters. The monsters that...the m-monsters that..." Frisk and Verena immediately hug Asriel again, as it looked like he was going to fall over on his side from all the violent shaking he was doing. "You're all...you're all dead. Because the monsters...they...because I...I..." He sniffed again as the river of tears continued to run down his face, as he tried to make them stop.

"Asriel. Calm yourself. You're on the edge of having a panic attack in a spiritual realm, which is a strange but impressive accomplishment within itself." Lizzie said quietly, genuinely worried for Asriel's emotional state. Verena and Frisk continued to hold Asriel upright while soothingly petting the fur on his head and ears. They continued with this, only slowing down when they noticed his sobs dying down and his tears beginning to stop, at least a little bit. "Now then, Asriel...it seems that the deeper effects of shock at seeing us took a longer amount of time to sink in than we thought. You were taking our presence well for quite an extended period of time before you began breaking down. Care to elaborate?"

"W-Well...I just...I just can't help but feel...responsible. Responsible for all of your deaths..." He murmured while hugging his knees. "I died at the hands of the humans...and...and Dad got really mad...enraged. His policy states that any human that falls down in the Underground be killed, and their soul is taken...and you guys weren't spared from it either. You all...you all were killed because of me. So, seeing you right here and now..." He reached for his chest and clutched it tightly, his soul pulsing from the contact. "I just can't help but feel bad...I mean...could I have prevented your deaths if I had done something different? I said I wouldn't regret the choice I made in not killing the humans in Chara's village...but I never took into account just how severe the consequences of our actions were. And then there was my reincarnation as Flowey..."

Justin's eyes lowered a bit. "Jeez, man. We can sense your soul right now...it's wracked with guilt, self-loathing, and pain. A _lot_ of pain." He sighed. "Asriel. We're not blaming you for what happened to us. Heck, there's nothing to blame you for! Except for trying to be a good friend towards someone who was _clearly_ taking advantage of your kindness and innocence just to land a spiteful attack on his home village. You said it yourself, Chara is clearly _not_ the best person. Look at what he's done."

"I know! But...I just feel as if I could have done better...could have made him happier with the life he had with us...then he wouldn't have made that choice long ago...if I had done better..."

"Asriel. Let me repeat what Justin said. The only thing you're truly guilty of that lead to your actions as Flowey is trying to be a good friend to a terrible friend. Even the whole Flowey thing with you could have been avoided if Chara had simply settled down where he was." Ace added. "Besides, you can't really blame our deaths on yourself. We don't even hate the monsters for killing us."

"What?!"

"Asriel. We knew about the legend. Adults talked about it all the time. Those who climb Mount Ebott never return. We knew full well about this and we did it anyway." Verena admitted. "We talked amongst each other...and we all figured out that we were all expected to never be seen by anyone ever again."

"Do you really think that Chara was the only child of us all who's had it rough with life and decided to just be done with it?" Ace narrowed his eyes. "Asriel, none of us have had particularly good lives before falling down the cliff. Some are slightly worse than others. We wanted to disappear, to cease to exist. Different reasons, same results. It was unexpectedly delayed, but we all ended up getting what we wanted, even if our minds were kinda beginning to change."

"We're not trying to justify the monsters murdering us. We much rather prefer that they admit to this fault and accept fair judgement." Justin said. "However, while we are NOT justifying the monsters killing us...we can at least understand where they were coming from. Your Mom let us know quite well, and she barely had to mention you. Her reactions were enough."

Frisk tilted his head at the mention of Toriel, remembering that she has taken care of all of the six children, one at a time, before they eventually left.

"That's right, Frisk." Lisa nodded. "Asriel...one at a time. She was kind to us without fail. Each and every one of us. In fact, if there was one thing that completely assures us that the monsters aren't all bad, is because Toriel was so kind and caring. She helped us through the Ruins, protected us, fed us, read us stories, and gave us a place to sleep, she's an incredible mother figure to have."

Verena lowered her eyes sadly. "When we eventually said that we had to go, we couldn't stay with her anymore...we saw her eyes, Asriel. Her eyes were wracked with loneliness, misery, and pain. We could tell that she desperately didn't want us to leave her behind, but she couldn't bring herself to leave the Ruins. She told us straight up that we would not survive, but we didn't listen...no. We didn't _care_. She let me, Lizzie, and Richard go...while Ace, Justin, and Lisa just ran off. Every time, her heart just kept breaking. We felt this, and we feel _really_ bad about it, now more than ever. It was only until Frisk fell down here and tried to do the same thing, had she finally decided enough is enough, and was willing to hurt Frisk if it meant that he couldn't leave her...of course she couldn't put her heart into the attacks. She purposely missed, hoping that he'd be intimidated enough to go back to the rooms. Though Frisk stayed **DETERMINED** and wore her out, and she allowed him to leave too...except this time she couldn't take it anymore, and rushed off to find Frisk when he confronted Asgore, stopping their fight."

"You've made an interesting deviation from the usual timeline by convincing her to leave with you. That's two worries simultaneously out of the way. She wouldn't be alone, and she could watch you." Richard nodded. "Asriel...she hesitated the most with Frisk because of how much he looks like Chara and how much he acts like you. Asgore noticed it as well. They're not the only ones who were heartbroken. The whole Kingdom was in an uproar over you."

"Again, we're not fully justifying their actions, but we can at least understand their plight." Justin said. "Asriel. Your death, and Chara's death...that was the last straw for the Monster Kingdom. You were the kindest monster there was, surpassing even your parents in the amount of compassion that lies within your soul. Even when you were being beaten to death by the humans while trying to return Chara's body to them, you never struck back. Your parents were distraught, your father and the monsters outraged. The humans went too far. You were killed for doing the right thing. You never hurt anybody, nor have you ever had the urge to hurt anyone out of hostility. The kindest and most innocent monster had been taken away from them."

"When you look at it a certain way, _both_ sides have made some pretty bad calls. And they amount to the rather difficult situation we're in now." Lisa adjusted her glasses. "A monster produced a mass panic among humans by absorbing a human soul and gaining terrifying power. For what reason, why they did it, what the situation was, or even who they were...no one knows. Either way, this provoked a completely justified and understandable fear in the humans, because monsters have this ability, plus their magic. Humans can't absorb souls, while only a handful can use magic. Though...instead of just punishing that one single monster and giving the others a very stern but also very fair warning about the possibility of misusing their abilities, the paranoia took over their better judgement and rational thinking, and they decided that the entire race couldn't be trusted, and engaged them in a completely one-sided war that had no casualties for them, and many for the monsters. Then they sealed them all in the Underground behind the Barrier for who knows how long. That understandably made the monsters furious with humans. Though they were beginning to calm down..."

"Then you died, Asriel, and everything got worse from there." Ace said. "The humans wronged them once again. It doesn't matter if you were a monster. Monster or not, they ganged up and killed a kid based on wild assumption! And not just any kid, the _Prince_! And for what? Carrying Chara's dead body based on a last request? That was his village, the village he ran away from. They were getting angry over the one kid that they drove away with whatever the heck they did to him! Sure, he tried to get you to kill them, but you were strong enough to deny him the chance. And of course, the monsters didn't take any of it well, leading to Asgore's 'Kill Any Humans That Fall Down' policy. The humans killed their beloved Prince without any mercy, so they decided to do the same to any human that might fall into the Underground...even kids. AKA, us. They were driven by hate and heartrending pain for what they've done to them, and wanted to take it out on any human at all, even children. They've been pushed too far, and are using any method they can to retaliate. Thus, one by one, all of us have fallen into the Underground. And one by one, we were killed with extreme prejudice. Of course we kinda fought back. Verena's tutu was a bit dusty which mean she put up somewhat of a fight. Whilst I wanted to childishly go out in some big glaze of glory and took some monsters out with my Toy Gun."

"Seeing that even human children can tear them apart if they truly wanted to, which Chara horrifically demonstrated in Genocide Timelines, they didn't hold back. They executed us, took our souls, and put them in those containment units that Asgore has. Though we could tell he truly feels guilty for it." Richard noted. "He never killed any of us himself because none of us even got close to him, combined with the fact that the big guy is a bit of a pacifist himself, yet he regrets it so badly because he gave an order out of anger and gried, and he could never take it back. He at least gives us enough respect to put our bodies in caskets. If he went back on his promise, the Kingdom would be doomed to fall apart from despair. As the King, he couldn't let that happen. Asgore just misses his wife and son, and wants to take back everything. If not, he's fully willing to embrace death as penance."

Frisk shivers greatly at the memories. Even when he was forced to fought Asgore when no other options could be used, he never struck the final blow. Which resulted in him dying via suicide or being killed by Flowey before he could proceed with any type of redemption. They were not good memories, they never will be.

"Both humans AND monsters have made monumental mistakes and committed atrocities that they BOTH should make up for." Verena stated strongly. "We're not particularly happy about the monsters killing us, but we're not going to hold a grudge over it, either. It's been quite a long time, we kinda let it go. We just think that they need to admit to what they've done, because we know they're not all bad, and that they can be better. Just like the humans also need to admit what they've done, and they can be better too. The blame is not one-sided, not at all."

"Exactly. So Asriel...the blame is not all on you." Richard told Asriel. "A lot of factors resulted in the problems we have here today, not just your own actions."

Asriel blinked. "But...but I-"

"Asriel. You are occasionally wise beyond your years. That much we can admit." Lizzie said. "But you're about to make a very costly mistake: You're trying to punish yourself by bearing the burdens of everyone's sins on your own shoulders."

Asriel's eyes widened. The irises of his eyes shrunk significantly as what Lizzie just said echoed through his mind. He opened his mouth to try to say something in return, but he could find nothing to say. He was...stuck.

 _Is...is that what I was trying to do...? It sounds much different hearing someone else say it..._

"Asriel. You have made bad decisions. Everyone does at some point in their lives. And sometimes those decisions hurt others, even if you don't mean it or didn't know that it would. But that does _not_ make you a bad person." Richard walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've admitted your part in buidling the conflict, and you feel remorse for it. You want to do everything in your power to make it right. That's completely acceptable. What's _unacceptable_ is that you're trying to right every single wrong that's resulted between humans and monsters all by yourself. No one can handle that kind of burden all by themselves...not even Frisk." He smiled. "That's why Frisk has that one special gift that very few people have and use to it's full potential: Bringing people together."

"That's the one of the major differences between the Pacifist and Genocide Routes." Verena said. "Chara takes power by destroying those who stand in his way. Almost everyone hates him as a result. Frisk's comes from the friends he makes on his journey. He gains the love of those around him, and as a result, they are willing to do whatever they can to protect him, since he usually lacks the power to protect himself."

"The most significant are obviously Toriel, Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Alphys, and Asgore." Lisa said, once again showing the notes of her New Notebook. "Frisk's will to move forward has spurred Toriel. Instead of allowing another child to die, this time by Asgore's hand, she goes after him so she could protect him herself, like she's unintentionally failed to do for us. He spent plenty of time with Papyrus, convincing him that he's just fine as himself, and he doesn't need to be popular to have lots of friends, and he should appreciate the ones he already has. Frisk showing mercy to Undyne when she fainted from heat exhaustion instead of attacking her while she was weak, made her reevaluate her views on humans in general, and after spending enough time with Frisk, she learns that not ALL humans are bad people. He placed his trust into Alphys so she could lead him safely through Hotlands, which also helped her build confidence within herself, confident enough to reveal the truth about the Amalgamates, and confident enough to confess to Undyne about her feelings. Then there's Asgore. He's in deep grief and the decision he made out of rage have resulted in severe consequences for himself and potential consequences for humans and monsters...yet it's not too late for him to make right of whatever wrongs that might be left over. And finally...Sans. To summarize, Sans is caught in one of the most depressing and spiritually-breaking Groundhog Day scenarios ever. Though with Frisk's interference, even he has managed to give him a reason for him to hope for the best again, even when things are currently bleak. One by one, Frisk has helped everyone overcome their greatest personal barriers, and it turned them into better people in the long run."

Richard raised his hand, and a small ball of light pushed into the middle of their circle. "Their feelings for Frisk can be best exemplified by their recovery from being Lost Souls." The voices echoed throughout the space:

 _"Well, some humans are OK I guess!"_

 _"No, that's not true! My friends like me! And I like you, too!"_

 _"NO WAIT! YOU'RE MY FRIEND! I COULD NEVER CAPTURE YOU!"_

 _"nah, i'm rootin for ya, kid."_

 _"Your fate is up to you now!"_

 _"You are our future!"_

"And you, Asriel. In this timeline, you've also made quite a contribution as a reaction having Frisk being a part of your life, and risking everything to save you. We saw." Ace said, while projecting a small ball of light of his own:

 _"I care about Frisk. I want to be able to help him more. I want to be able to protect him like everyone else does."_

 _"I made a vow to myself. Frisk has suffered far too much for our sake. From the moment I absorbed Geno Frisk's soul, I promised to protect him. That's a promise I intend to keep. Even if the person I have to protect Frisk from...is Chara. He wants to hurt Frisk. I can't let him do that."_

Justin folded his arms while looking towards Asriel. "You vowed to protect Frisk from any serious danger, such as Chara. While that is pretty noble of you, you're still a bit shaky on the concept. You're not alone anymore, Asriel. You've got your family back. You have friends. And they're willing to support you, not because you're the Prince, because they care about you as a person. Something you've always wanted form a friend. You also said that you wouldn't waste the sacrifice that Geno Frisk made for you...so don't do that by making the same monumental mistake Chara did and muck up your second chance at life."

Asriel blinked as he felt Frisk hug his arm and look at him with a small smile. Asriel smiled back softly, before looking down into the white space, seeing his reflection. "I've been blaming myself for everything bad that's happened to everyone, both from my last moments before my death, and my time as Flowey..and because of that, I thought I should be the one who has to fix all of it so no one else can get hurt. But...that's not how things should go, is it?"

"You've gained extraordinary power, Asriel. That doesn't mean you can go taking the hit for everyone just because you can take it. Especially when they're fully willing to do the same for you." Ace said. "You don't have to shoulder all of these burdens alone. You're not that lonely, genocidal flower who can't feel positive emotions anymore. Everyone is willing to help you, just as much as you want to help them. Including Frisk on both counts. Heck, you're one of the primary reasons Frisk RESET again!"

"You embody the best in Monsters, Asriel, despite how much _you've_ suffered due to the actions of humans. Just like Frisk embodies the best in humans, despite how much _he's_ suffered due to the actions of monsters. Both of your experiences will be extremely beneficial when it comes to the future." Lizzie smiled.

"Frisk alone can't ensure the future between humans and monsters will be a good future. You have to stand by his side, as the Prince. Along with the help of friends and family." Verena smiled.

Asriel looked towards Frisk again, then back at his reflection. Then slowly, he raised one paw up to his face. He looked towards Frisk once again, and used his other paw to reach out and hold Frisk's hand. The human smiles warmly at him, and he smiles back. He then slowly gazed back at his paw.

"...Monsters may have been mean to Frisk for a good long while at first, but at the same time, without their help after befriending them, he never would have gotten as far as he did on his own. Avoiding most of the details, Frisk didn't do what he did all by himself. Everyone was there...everyone stood by his side and helped him through hardship. And they're willing to do anything it takes to keep him safe and happy. That goes the same for me." He gently squeezes Frisk's hand, and he smiles widely. "Me and Frisk will ensure that the future of humans and monsters will be a happy one! The Pacifist Route proves that it's possible, even with a couple obstacles...but we can work through it together!" Asriel felt extremely happy for the moment. Then his smile fell, and he stared at the endless white below him once again. "Then...that only leaves one more current problem..."

"Chara." All of the children said at the same time. The one supreme, final obstacle before they can reach the true end of this journey.

Asriel nodded sadly. "...What do I do...? He's responsible for so many bad things...yet I can still feel my best friend in there...somewhere." He reached up and lightly grabbed his Heart Locket. "Otherwise he wouldn't have the other Locket..." He looked up to the other children. "I don't know what to do! Chara is out to kill me once and for all, Sans said that expecting mercy from him is impossible, and Geno Alphys...her plan...it was to distract Chara, evacuate the monsters, leave me alone with the Human Souls, and harness their power to stop Chara any way I can. She never told me if there's any specific way I should stop him. She's trusting me to make the right decision. But...I don't know what the right decision is! I don't want to kill him, yet I can't let him kill me, my friends and family, or Frisk!" He looked towards the other children desperately. "Please help me...what do I do...?"

The children stared at Asriel in silence. They stood away from him for a couple moments and got into a childlike huddle position. They began murmuring among themselves, in a volume and tone that couldn't be heard by Frisk or Asriel, who could only look at one another in confusion. After a full minute, they nodded in agreement, and returned to the duo.

"'Don't Kill, and Don't Be Killed'. That's how you worded it, right?" Justin asked him. Asriel blinked.

"Um...yes...?"

"Then that's exactly what you do. Don't kill Chara, and don't let him kill anyone else."

"But how do I do that?"

Pause. "...SAVE him, Asriel. You and Frisk need to SAVE Chara...from himself. Just like Frisk did for you." Lizzie said.

Asriel looked at them all, shocked. "Save Chara...from himself?! Can...is it even possible at this point? I mean, I'm more than willing to take that option...but how do I achieve it?"

"It's like Papyrus said. "EVEN THE WORST PERSON CAN CHANGE! ANYONE CAN BECOME A GOOD PERSON, IF THEY JUST TRY! NYEH HEH HEH!" Verena laughed cheerfully, earning an eye roll from Ace. "So, Asriel...Frisk...you need to let him know that redemption is still an option. It's very miniscule, but it's still there. Let him know that it's not too late to try."

"We're not saying it will be easy for him. As a matter of fact, he needs to know straight up that the bad things he pulled was NOT OKAY! He'll need to know that it'll take a LOT of time before he earns everyone's trust again, especially Sans, who hates him more than everyone else." Justin said strongly. "Though we do remember...he's still just a kid, like us. Kids, whether they're sweet little angels or sour little demons, do stupid things. REALLY stupid things. Like throwing toilet paper at a houses, or jumping on the couch, eating lots of candy even though your parents tell you not to...then there's jumping off a cliff. Though something like this isn't excusable...it can be fixed."

"Forgive, But Don't Ever, _Ever_ , _**Ever**_ Forget. That's our best way of wording it." Lisa adjusted her glasses. "There's a way you can save him. But it's not going to be easy. It'll take a lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of power, and some serious help. But it can be done. Just listen to what we say, Asriel." The prince nodded.

They explained what Asriel and Frisk would have to do, as carefully and as understandable as they could. Asriel's eyes narrowed with each passing detail, while Frisk's expression mostly didn't change at all. After a while, they both nodded. It seemed like an easy answer to the problem...it only gets complex because Chara isn't gonna just sit there and let them do it. A slight deviation from Sans' quote, but it fits.

"Good. Now there's just one thing left for us to do." Lisa said. Suddenly, they all spread out and walked around the duo, until they were forming a complete circle. After this, they held both of their hands out to Asriel and Frisk, and their souls began to manifest in front of them. They began to glow brightly. "Every other time, our soul power was forcefully taken from us and absorbed. This time...we're willingly giving you a portion of ours, each. Enough to provide you the strength to do what you need to do." A magic circle began flowing around the children, and also began to good along with the souls.

Asriel closed his eyes as his floppy ears, shirt, and Heart Locket began floating upward. Frisk's hair and shirt were also flowing up a bit, but not by much. So were the attires of the children.

"You can do this, you two. You were able to get this far despite the game-changing." Richard smiled.

"We know you both got this, you're definitely strong enough." Ace nodded strongly.

"Yeah! The light can still win the day! Especially when you have our help!" Verena cheered with a small fist pump.

"Despite all that's happened, there's still just one more soul left to save. The one soul that, just like Asriel's before, needs to be saved the most." Lizzie nodded with a small smile.

"Both Humans and Monsters made some rash judgements that led to the problems we have now. Make sure everyone knows this, and takes care to prevent them from repeating." Justin reminded them.

"Ensure that harmony between humans and monsters is ensured, no matter how difficult it may get, and will never be undone again. Only then, will we be able to go to the afterlife in peace." Lisa nodded strongly.

Then they all said together:

"The true final leg of this journey is at hand! Asriel Dreemurr! Frisk Dreemurr! **STAY DETERMINED!** "

Asriel and Frisk nodded strongly, as they're preparing to be sent back to reality. Then...

"Wow. That was _reeeeaaally_ cliché anime material there. Alphys would have been proud." Ace noted.

"Way to ruin the awesomeness, ACE!" Verena stuck her tongue at him.

Then everything, even in the vast white, disappeared in a flash of light...

 **(Snowdin)**

Time had been passing in normal terms since Asriel and Frisk begun their meditation. Many things have happened in that small pocket of time that they wouldn't be aware of until they both woke up. Until then, the others had to do whatever the could just to survive what was being thrown at them.

First off, Alphys retreated with Undyne and Papyrus, while Geno Alphys and Flowey(who remembered to return Papyrus's scarf) chose to remain in the True Lab to make sure that all the Amalgamates still there were safe as well as keep them that way, and the magic defenses they placed would work properly. And even so, they're the only ones who can get in and out of the lab doors on either side. All the monsters have retreated to the Capital in New Home, where Chara couldn't reach. Yes, Geno Alphys(no one could tell the difference) managed to convince Muffet to actually do what she's this time, less she paid the consequences...through pain. And she could actually deliver, via Mettaton or Undyne. The defenses were also backed up with magic _and_ scientific defenses that made sure that it would stay that way. Good thing they can't see anything that's happening that's happening outside the Capital.

Darkness has spread over most of the Underground, making it much shadier than usual. The reason why...Chara. He had Void Toriel and Void Asgore on each side of him. He had Void Undyne and Void Mettaton Neo a few feet behind him on each side. And he had Void Sans and Void Papyrus riding Gaster Blasters that were glowing darkly. Speaking of dark, this was Chara's aura. A black, constant, ghost-like magical aura that made his soul seemingly become even more sickly black than usual. It was not difficult to see that he was angry.

Both Geno Alphys and Sans had out-gambited him. He lost Geno Frisk's soul, weakening his control over the timelines. And Asriel spoke down to him as if he were the higher morality. Not only that, but he struck him in the back with fire and lightning. That hurt, and it hurt badly. But not as badly as his mind, which thinks he's superior to them all. Usually Chara was in a relatively calm, if only relatively snarky default attitude. Now he was completely silent, his every step tainting the area around him as his eyes glowed a very dark demonic crimson.

In simpler terms, Chara was _**pissed**_. It was like a small, ill-tempered, unhinged child not getting what they want despite how much they demand it...why does this sound familiar?

 **"Asr...Asriel...Dree...murr..."** He murmured softly, his Real Knife glowing more crimson red, gripping the handle tightly. **"Traitor...lier...deceiver...worthless...punishment...death. The Prince deserves only death. Death! KILL! _REND!_ " **Void Undyne slaps him hard, lightly turning his head. He blinked. "Thanks, I needed that. I was...er...I was kinda being...a bit overwhelming on the darkness there. But I'm back, more or less."

With a much clearer mind, Chara continued to move onward, now trading through the snow of Snowdin. And unsurprisingly, it was completely empty. That was okay though. He would hunt all of them down sooner or later. He had plenty of time, and plenty of rage.

 **Determination.**

Void Papyrus stopped him a little, and he turned to see who it was. A sick twisted smile grew on his face when he sees Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Papyrus, Alphys, and a still mostly injured Sans. The Royal Duo did what they could, but the slash wasn't fully healed yet. Chara was disappointed that he survived, that he was not dusted after one shot, like he was supposed to be. Because Asriel stepped in when he really shouldn't have. Though, the main monsters were standing between him and the pathway to the Ruins.

 _A last stand, huh? Hmph, it won't do them any good._

Sans noticed this his impatience. "woah. you look _really_ pissed off. heh...what's the matter, kid? havin' a bad time? i imagine that your messy hair is the sign of someone havin' a bad time." Chara was not amused, but he didn't let Sans see that." so, what brings you on this side of this snowy neighborhood?"

"Ah...nothing really. I'm just adjusting my mental to-do list." Chara waved casually. "Watch the birds fly, kill Asriel, water some flowers, Kill Asriel, have a little snowball fight, **Kill Asriel** , say hello and goodbye to my _friends_ as they all fade into dust, _**KILL ASRIEL!**_ " He took a breather. "Ha...did I mention how badly I wanna kill Asriel right now? I like... _really_ need it. I literally CANNOT have any more relative peace of mind until I'm certain I have his dust on my hands. I outright _refuse_ to just think about him possibly surviving our encounter." Chara held his Real Knife as it continued to pulse a crimson red. "He's just...he's just gonna die today. Sorry, but that's just the way it has to be."

"the way it _has_ to be? or just because you can? there's an obvious difference, ya know."

"Regardless, all of the higher-tier monsters are trying to block my way...I must be heading in the right direction." Chara stretched out a bit. "Unfortunately, for the time beint, I don't feel like playing with you all right now, so please step aside so I can murder my brother in peace."

"How the fuck can you say something like that so casually?!" Undyne shouted, even as Toriel heavily glared at her for her language. Though she quickly turned back towards Chara, her harsh face turning into a pleading one.

"Chara...please. Don't do this. Why must you make Asriel a target of all your hate?"

"Please son...we can still work this out. It's not too late to stop this." Asgore pleaded as well.

"Don't give me those lies. This entire thing is his fault. It's his weakness that placed everyone in this situation in the first plsce. But don't fret. Now that he has a physical form that he can keep together, I'm more than happy to take that away from in in the most agonizing way I can think of. He'll pay dearly for the sins he committed."

"so that's it? you're just gonna ignore everything i've told you?"

"You always did talk too much, Sans."

"S-Scary..." Alphys shivered.

"CHARA. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD LIKE TO SAY...YOU ARE CLEARLY NOT THE NICEST PERSON I'VE EVER MET." The taller skeleton declared. He noticed how Sans weakly but protectively moved in front of him, to prevent him from getting closer to Chara, or vice-versa. "HOWEVER, I STILL BELIEVE IN YOU. I STILL BELIEVE YOU CAN CHANGE FOR THE BETTER, EVEN IF YOU DO NOT THINK SO. DESPITE THE MANY WRONGS YOU'VE COMMITTED...IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO BEGIN MAKING RIGHTS AGAIN. ASRIEL HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT IN THE PAST, EVEN IF YOU WEREN'T THE BEST PERSON, YOU WERE STILL MUCH BETTER THAN YOU ARE NOW. WE BELIEVE THAT PERSON IS STILL INSIDE YOU. YOU CAN STILL BRING THAT PERSON BACK. YOU'LL HAVE THE ASSISTANCE OF THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IF NEED BE."

Chara blinked in utter disbelief. "Wow. I never took 'The Great Papyrus' for a lier."

"I AM NOT LYING, CHARA. I TRULY DO BELIEVE IN YOU."

"Is this some kind of cruel joke? I know for a fact that you _saw_ how I killed you. MULTIPLE TIMES. And you're saying that you still believe that the door of redemption is still open for me? You really are an idiot."

"I DON'T SEE IT AS IDIOCY. I PREFER TO SEE THE BEST IN PEOPLE, AND PROMOTE THAT PART OF THEMSELVES."

"It's the same damn thing!" Chara shouted, not knowing why he got so angry all of a sudden. "You annoy me with your optimistic views just as much as Sans annoys me by beating me into the ground a couple dozen times! No matter how many times I kill you, you keep seeing me in a positive light! How can you keep doing such a thing?! What do you hope to gain in order to constantly put up such a facade?! NOTHING! THAT'S WHAT!"

"UNTRUE. I COULD GAIN YOUR FRIENDSHIP."

Chara scoffed. "And that's useful to me...how?"

"I MAKE GREAT SPAGHETTI. I COULD MAKE YOU SOME."

"Your spaghetti is terrible."

"AH! CRITISIM! OF COURSE I CANNOT EXPECT TO GAIN GREAT RESULTS EVERY TIME. I'LL JUST HAVE TO KEEP IMPROVING! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"See! That right there is why I hate you so much! You took an insult and mistook it as advice! Out of everyone, it's YOU, the manchild, who's almost impossible to genuinely piss off! You either take things as a compliment or your idiotic optimisim allows hostility to fly over your head! NO ONE can believe in themselves that much!"

"paps does it every day./Papyrus is a special case." Sans and Undyne said at the same time, getting angrier and angrier at the child for dissing their brother/best friend. "in fact, paps' optimistic aura is one of the very few reasons i even bother to get outta bed anymore."

"I'm surprised you can get out of bed for anything that isn't drinking ketchup or falling asleep somewhere else. Though now I know you actually have a reason for not trying."

"well i'm gonna start tryin' more, after we deal with this punk. then...maybe can all have a life on the surface that won't be undone by a RESET."

Chara smiled. "That's right. Keep bringing up memories of the surface. Keep reminding yourselves of the happy ending..." The Void Copies around him began moving forward, prompting the others to begin being defensive. "...and watch me rip it away from you...FOREVER."

"That's not going to happen, Chara. Never again."

The small child blinked a little, then his grin became large as he noticed the two children around his size approach him, which came as a shock to the monsters around them. "Finally. You've come out of hiding, you two. And you even dressed yourselves up for the occasion."

Asriel and Frisk stepped up in front of the main monsters. Their auras are drastically different. To Toriel and Asgore's surprise, Frisk was donning the Delta Rune robes over his clothes. His red soul was shining brilliantly. It was pulsing with **DETERMINATION**. Asriel's case was different as well. He was also wearing the Delta Rune robes over his clothes that fit his small size, his Heart Locket was looking newer and more valuable(not that he didn't value it regardless), and his soul was slowly flashing the colors of all the other human souls in a loop. In other words...a rainbow soul.

"...wow. I gotta hand it to you, brother. This is new. This is definitely new. Looks like you called the human souls for help, and they came to you. But...it won't do you any good." Chara's grin was unchanging.

"Time will tell if that's true." Asriel replied.

"Oooh! You grew a bit of a backbone while you were out. Did you get even stronger and it's just getting to your head?"

"No. I didn't get that much more powerful. But my powers themselves...have more branches. I've become...a bit more versatile than before. I didn't absorb the other human souls. Instead...they offered a portion of their power to me, every one of them added to my own. It's a different case for Frisk."

"Interesting. Care to give me a demonstration?"

"Of course." Asriel turned around and walked towards the others, confusing them. "I need you guys to hold still for me." With this, he began his procedure: His paws began glowing, as he tapped Sans' shoulder, Papyrus's leg, lightly touched Undyne's hair, and lightly touched Alphys's tail. He did it differently for his parents: He leaned up to Toriel and kissed her cheek, then turned around to Asgore and kissed his cheek as well. Then he stepped back a bit, as they all began glowing from the places they've been touched.

"W-What's happening?!" Alphys stuttered in a panic, as they were all engulfed in shining balls of light.

Chara had to blink again. This was...also a new development.

Alphys appeared from the light. Her lab cost had become a touch shinier, as well as her glasses were shining white mostly, though she could still see through them. She was lightly crackling with yellow lightning, mostly around her tail. It was...an invigorating feeling. She knew she wasn't as strong as the others in the bunch...yet at the same time...she didn't feel so weak anymore. _It appears that our levels of magic just...skyrocketed! And all because Asriel touched us with his rainbow soul power! This is unprecedented! Maybe as soon as we're done, I can-_

Her eyes dimmed behind her shining glasses when she saw Undyne. Her form his highly identical to that of Undyne the Undying. It even matches the hearts on her breastplate and gauntlets, the spears of light shooting out her left eye, and her hair got spiky. What the major difference was that her spears were no longer blue, but a very static white, and the white heart on her chest was no longer just white, but a brilliant shine that resembles a diamond. A perfect mending of black and white. But most of all...Undyne felt like she was in complete control. The possibility of melting has been erased.

"Hell yeah! Anime IS real!" Undyne cackled victoriously. Alphys didn't notice how long she was staring...nor the blood running down her nose. There was a very likely chance Geno Alphys's nose was bleeding too, if she's watching. And why not? Anime and Undyne, her two favorite things!

Papyrus hasn't changed by much, but it's enough to be totally noticeable: An array of of bones had gathered around him...as both of his eyes glowed orange. In his left hand, a bone rapier that had a hint of blue. He held it up like a champion would his sword. "I HEREBY DUB MYSELF... _SIR_ PAPYRUS! NYEEEEEEH HEH HEH HEEEH!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY!" Undyne shouted at him.

"aw, come on, undyne. cut my bro a break." Sans opened his eyes, as they are both glowing a brilliant cyan. He finally zipped up his jacket and pulled his hood over his head. Sans ultimately didn't change too much. However...when he summoned a Gaster Blaster...the draconic skull also manifested a body. It had the body of a dragon, with bony wings and a bony tail. It landed behind him, snarling at the opposition. Another one landed beside that one, also snarling. However, this one turned to Frisk and Asriel, closes it's pinprick eyes and nuzzles the both of them very gently, a soft rumble escaping from it. Aww, they liked those two! Sans made a small chuckle as he stared down the opposition, as the creatures regained attention, snarling. "heheh...time for a test drive."

Toriel was surrounded by a slight circle of fire, as she's lightly levitating off of the ground. Her paws were clasped together in a sort of prayer. What it's for, is currently unknown. Her fire has gotten even more fierce than ever, but in a protective sense. Multiple fireballs appeared over her head, which are most likely related to the possibly different powers they have. Her eyes opened and were revealed to be burning red, and also emitted a fierce and protective nature even more than her own flames. Her robe flows due to the intensity of the flames, but she remains focused on her objective.

Asgore rose up, gripping his trident, which was now alit with fierce flames, yet his paws didn't suffer any burns. His horns seemed to have gotten a bit sharper, and there was a fierce orange glow in one eye, blue in the other. His cape majestically flows with the wind, and his armor seemed to shine a bit from the might of the flames. Despite what was about to happen next, his demeanor became calm. He was reluctant to battle, but he shall battle nonetheless. Both monsters and humans were at stake here. He had little choice but to battle for real for the first time in a while. Flowey always feared Asgore, and for good reason.

Chara seemed caught off-guard by the display. Then he chuckled. "Hehehe...I get it. Your 'love' vs my 'LOVE'. Alright, challenge accepted!" The sinister magic began gathering around the Void Copies once again, as well as around himself. A cover of darkness later, and he too donned a robe over his clothes, though his was pure black. His eyes glowed crimson and he grinned.

 **"You're naive, Asriel. You should know that this is how everything ends. In my victory. No matter how hard you try...you'll never be able to change a _thing_." **

"You're absolutely right, Chara." This made the boy blink in confusion. " _I_ won't be able to change much all by myself. However...not only do I have my family and friends to support me...I have Frisk, too." Asriel's paw reached for Frisk's. They connect, and squeeze lightly for a confidence boost in once another. Asriel's smile brightens with new found confidence, and he turns to face the storm in front of him.

"As a result...I feel like _we_ will be able to change _everything!_ "

* * *

 **Me, Undyne, and Alphys: Anime is real...**

 **Flowey: All three of you are idiots.**

 **Toriel: The end is nigh...let's hope that it works well in the end.**

 **Asgore: There's chance that many will disagree with the decision that Asriel and Frisk have made.**

 **Asriel: But an ending like that IS possible. I have to try...WE have to try!**

 **Frisk is DETERMINED to try!**

 **Me: Welp, there ya have it. The smol children wish to save the other smol meanie child. It's possible. There's a way. But they gotta weaken him first. It sounds so simple at initial notice, but it'll be difficult because of how much effort it will take to pin him down and actually go threw with it.**

 **Flowey: They're gonna hate you for this choice, you know.**

 **Me: Eh. I have plenty of people who hate me already. A couple more won't kill me.**

 **...Probably. Dunno.**

 **The end is near! You'll have to wait for it, obviously.**

 **The battle begins, next time! Intensity, powerful magic, clashes...and feels. So many memories and feels...they go pretty well together. :3**

 **See ya!~**


	20. The Angels Of Prophecy

**Me: *covers eyes* I can't look. What's the length of this chapter?**

 **Sans: *looks over chapter content, whistles* over 12,000 words. you're really determined, ben.**

 **Me: *groan* Good grief! My documents glitch out a lot because of the many words I'm putting into this! (Doing this on a phone is torment.) I had to rewrite certain parts because the entire thing would close out when it gets too high...repeatedly. But I stayed DETERMINED!**

 **Sans: anyway, here's the deal. benny fitted the entire final battle into this chapter. he couldn't help himself, he was unable to stop.**

 **Me: I actuslly thought I did pretty decent. Though near the end, people might see some of the parts as BS. It's just what I personally thought would work.**

 **Asriel: *Eagerly yet seriously waiting* Let's go!**

 **(Geez this chapter is long...gah...)**

 **Chapter...START!**

* * *

It's intense just being close to such an area after seeing the initial powers about to be put on display. Turns out that evacuating all of the monsters in the Underground to New Home was actually a very fitting and accurately safe idea. The enemy may be here, but the monsters were out of harm and far out of harm by potential danger zones. There would be no fear of innocents getting caught in the crossfire, which was what Geno Alphys was counting on.

Everyone can cut loose.

"You've surely grown quite the backbone, Asriel. Standing up to me like you are now." Chara grinned maniacally. "Frisk and the other human souls must have really inspired something within you, huh?"

Asriel stared at Chara with stern, powerful, yet quiet defiance, staying close to Frisk. Then he spoke up: "Chara...let's not do this here. The three of us should fight somewhere else."

"Why? You have this picture perfect setup for a last stand, with all of your loved ones around you ready to fight by your side. Why break up such a scene?"

"I'm not gonna fight you in front of Mom and Dad. Their hearts can barely take this as it is." Asriel replied strongly. Both of the elder Dreemurrs faces saddened at the words that rang true. "In fact, I don't want to fight you at all. But that's the only language you'll speak at this point, so I'm going to have speak it in order to get my message across." He then pointed far in the other direction, towards New Home. "You know where we need to go." Where they were going, the chances of anyone else getting hurt in the crossfire were nonexistent.

"Indeed I do. I'm sporting enough to at least allow you that." Asriel and Frisk nodded as Chara made his way towards them in a casual, confident, and threatening manner all at the same time. "After you, brother. _Partner._ " The name made Frisk mentally flinch, but he stayed calm.

"Asriel...Frisk..." Toriel called out to the two children. Her concern for them is immensely powerful, but she had to let them do what they needed to do. They're the ones who are best equipped to deal with the situation than any of the others. She could only shake her head softly and reestablish her words. "Please...be careful. Don't let any more tragedy strike us all by disappearing forever..." The boys nodded strongly sans( _heh_ ) Chara, as Asriel placed his paws on both of their shoulders, reality shifts a little bit, and they vanished from where they were standing...

 **(The Barrier)**

The trio reappeared a couple feet away from the barrier. Chara chuckled softly. "The Barrier, huh? The place where you and Frisk did battle with one another in order to save his friends. Now you want to do battle with me in the same location in order to save everyone? How poetically convenient of you."

"Let's not waste any more time stalling. The sooner we get done with this, the better off we'll be." Asriel stated, still staring at Chara seriously.

"Wanna just get to the point? Fine by me." Chara walked a couple feet away from the duo, watching the magic Barrier reflect the lights of their individual magics. In the reflection, Chara had the wings of a demon, covered in black flames. Asriel's reflection had the wings of an angel with rainbow angelic wings gently flapping and sparkling. Frisk's reflection had the wings of an angel as well, only pure white instead of rainbow, though it was also shining and sparkling. Chara turned when he was far enough away, holding his Real Knife outward, sparkling red with killing intent. "You know, Asriel...there's a pretty high chance that you yourself will be able to leave the Underground, given that your own Boss Monster soul regenerated when you absorbed Geno Frisk's soul. You could probably leave all by yourself...not that I'll allow you to leave here alive."

"I wouldn't have wanted to leave right now anyway, not without Frisk or the others. Besides, the second I leave, you're just going to go back to killing." Asriel stated, a strong burst of magic emitting off his body. "So no one's going anywhere until the three of us are through!"

Chara smirked. "Hmmm...interesting. I must admit, brother. You _do_ have me a bit outclassed in terms of raw power. But I have enough fighting experience to match it easily. Though you have at least half of it due to Geno Frisk's soul, not that it'll help."

Frisk pleads to Chara, gently tells telling him that he doesn't want to fight. The child only scoffs.

"And Pacifrisk strikes again! Really Frisk, despite the many similarities we may have to each other, including our good looks, you're just as naive as Asriel if you think a confrontation like this is gonna end peacefully. You know the only reason you're still alive after battling the God of Hyperdeath is that Asriel also regained his compassion. I have no such weakness." Chara tightened his grip. "I thought that as my partner, at least _you_ would understand what I'm trying to do. No, of course you don't. You're traitors. _Both_ of you."

"You forced our hand, Chara. Eventually at some point of time, I had to start thinking about everyone else instead of just the three of us. What you're doing is hurting everyone we love, and I can't just stand around and allow it anymore." Asriel said. "This is your last chance, Chara. I've said it plenty of times to myself, and I'll say it again. I don't want to fight you. Frisk doesn't want to fight you either. But if you keep going the way you are now, you'll leave us no choice."

"Asriel, you seem to be mistaken... **you never had a choice.** "

"I've ALWAYS had a choice! Everyone does. Before now, when it came to you, I've made a couple wrong ones that contributed to our new problems! That ends now."

"Let me remind of you of how hopeless this struggle is. You can't beat me. Geno Frisk tried many times to wrench control back from me, he's always failed. He failed to understand that I was unbeatable." Chara grins sadistically. "And it's not far from the truth! I have time at the palm of my hands. I can never truly be defeated. And do you know why?" He spread his arms out. **"I am the Angel of Prophecy destined to make the Underground empty. I am the Demon That Comes When Those Call It's Name. I have the power of LOVE, which is ultimate power for someone who's heart is as dark, hollow, and empty as mine. The 'Fallen Human' Chara you knew can never exist again. Chara: THE ANGEL OF DEATH!"**

Silence. Frisk looked on with sadness, it looks like trying to avoid a fight was hopeless after all. Then he hears Asriel clench his fists.

"...Wrong."

Chara's grin lessened a bit. "Hm?"

"Use your real name."

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"You're not the Demon that comes when it's name is called. You're not the Fallen Human that is human no more. And you're not the Angel Of Death." Asriel pointed at Chara, his face dead serious. "Your name is Chara Dreemurr. You're the adoptive son of Toriel and Asgore Dreemurr. And you're also my big brother and best friend. Someone who I want back." He swiped his paw across. "I'm not leaving the Underground without you!"

Chara blinked a little, somewhat taken aback by Asriel's passion. Then he chuckled. "Such passion! Did you get that from one of Alphys' anime or something?"

"Mock me all you want. I'm only speaking the truth. I know that deep down, my brother is still in there. I know that deep down, he doesn't want to continue this pointless darkness anymore. He wants so badly to stop, but he's thinks it's far too late for that. Me and Frisk are here to disprove of that belief."

"Oh yeah? And what makes you so sure?"

"You're still wearing the The Locket." Asriel noted, as he lifted his own Heart Locket. "When you found it, you said that it was 'Right where it belongs.' Frisk wasn't able to grasp the true value of it at first, while you felt reunited with it. If you truly didn't care about me or our friendship anymore, you wouldn't even have it. Am I wrong?" He was quick to notice that Chara stopped smiling, and that was all the proof he needed.

"...You seem to have a lot of confidence in those claims of yours. However..." Chara began emitting dark magic from his body, which appeared sickly dark, and full of hatred. **"Your actions will have to speak a lot louder if you wish for them to actually mean something. We know you're too afraid to actually face me head-on."**

"...Yes. I am afraid. But I'm not going to let that stop me from making a difference...not anymore." Asriel closed his eyes...then reopened them with renewed **DETERMINATION**. Magic of rainbow colors emitted off of his body, which was sparkling, and filled with positive emotions. It lightly attached to Frisk, somewhat empowering him further, as well as protecting him. **"In order to reach you, I'll have to battle you. Maybe then I'll understand how you can still hate so much. Then maybe...we can do something about it."**

Chara was quiet for a moment.

 **"...It's too late for that."**

A Lost Memory flashes for both Asriel and Chara...

 **(Memory)**

"It sounds like it came from over here..." Asriel said as he walked on from the sanctuary of the Ruins, following the sounds of something crashing into the ground. It echoed throughout the area, so he had heard it even from the distance he's been placed. When he reached the area that has the open space. He saw someone collapsed onto the ground, facedown. "Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you...? Are you okay?" Asriel ran over towards the collapsed child, holding his hand and helping him up. "Here, get up..."

"...I'm still alive...huh..." the boy stands up weakly as he looked at the child before him. "You're...you're a monster, aren't you? Goats aren't normally wearing clothes and walking on two legs." He dusted himself off lightly. "Well...I didn't really expect to wake up. Though I might as well get intrks out of the way. My name is...Chara."

"...Chara, huh?" Asriel smiled. "That's a nice name."

He blinked slightly. "...You're the first person who thinks so. Many have said that it's a pretty stupid name, because it's short for 'Character'. The ones who named me weren't very creative."

"I still think it's a nice name. Let's do me next! My name is Asriel. Asriel Dreemurr." The child smiles brightly at the other. The human child as about to reply, but he nearly collapsed again. Asriel's eyes widened as he reached out to catch him, narrowly succeeding. "Golly...you're really hurt. Come on, we need to get you out of here. Mama will be able to fix you up in a jiffy!" He helped the child stay standing, as they made their way out of the darkened room.

Chara's hair covered his eyes as he was assisted by Asriel in walking down the current path. "...Why help me?"

"You don't really expect me to just leave you there all alone, do you?" Was Asriel's answer. Chara didn't have much of a retort as he allowed the fluffy child to carry him along to who knows where.

He didn't expect himself to be heading towards some large, fancy castle like in one of those exaggerated stories that people tend to mutter on about. Either that or it was a really big, very sophisticated house. He wasn't sure if there was a difference. "Hey...we're going in that place?"

"Of course we are. That's my home!" Asriel smiled again. Chara's immediate judgment: he was far too cheerful for his own good. Though before Asriel could reach the front doors, they opened rather automatically, revealing the presence of Toriel and Asgore, who's faces contorted to surprise when they saw that he has Chara in tow. "Howdy Mama! Howdy Daddy!"

"...Asgore...is that..."

"It is, Tori. It seems that a human child has fallen into the Underground. But how...? And why...?"

Toriel noticed the injuries on Chara's form, and immediately picked him up, resulting in a heavily shocked reaction from the child. He was more surprised when he saw sparkles of light beam off of her paw, and sprinkle onto him, giving him a soft tingling sensation. Then it deepens when he noticed that all of his injuries were vanishing, as if they were nonexistent. She then set him back down, more relaxed. "That's much better. Now, human child-"

"His name is Chara! He told me so!~" Asriel chirped happily, hopping once.

"Chara. How did you fall down here? Was it an accident?"

The human boy shook his head softly. "I don't wanna talk about it. I didn't really expect to survive the fall. I'm also pretty sure that I won't be missed even if they do discover where I disappeared off to. That's good. I never want to see them ahain."

"Who, my child?"

"Humans."

It didn't take much more after that to realize that Chara has most likely not had positive experiences with his own kind. When he spoke the word his voice turned bitter and scathing. A child with that kind of tone is indeed a damaged one. And he's made it pretty clear that he doesn't want to go back even if he were able to. So, Asriel came up with an idea.

"Well, we can't leave you alone, and you don't wanna go back to your home...can this place become your home then?" Asriel asked with a wondering smile. Chara seemed taken aback by this. What surprised him further was that Toriel and Asgore didn't seem to object. Instead, they seem to be smiling at such a prospect.

"...You're...you're easily willing to take me in...?"

"We don't know what happened to you that caused you to leave the humans behind, and it's obvious you won't disclose it with us. So we won't ask you to." Toriel smiled. "We'll take good care of you, Chara."

"Asriel always wanted a sibling. This is a good chance for all of us. You can have a good life here, Chara." Asgore nodded.

Chara gazed at Asriel for a couple moments. He saw the sparkle in them, the kindness, the warmth, and the innocence...he finds himself unable to deny the child. He nodded quietly. "...Okay..." Seconds after that, he found himself glomped upon by a ball of fuzziness and fluff.

"Yay!~" The prince cheered while nuzzling cheeks with the rosy cheeked child. Chara felt a bit awkward from how close he got without any care in the world.

This might be...interesting.

 **(Present)**

Both Asriel and Chara opened their eyes at the same time, while the latter seemed baffled.

"You're an even bigger idiot than I thought, Asriel. What's the purpose in replaying that memory?"

"Unlike you, I've chosen to focus on and appreciate the positive memories of my life, and gain more experience from the bad ones." Frisk readily agreed with this, nodding strongly.

"Pfft! So that's it?" Chara scoffed. "You want to weaken my will to fight by mentally replaying the happy memories we've had with each other? THAT'S your big strategy? Do you honestly think that such a cliché fairytale tactic will work on the likes of me?"

Asriel thought over those words a bit, looking down on his Delta Rune robes in deep thought. Then he raised his head back up after thinking it over, and managed a relaxed and somewhat cheerful shrug.

"Wanna help me find out?"

Knowing exactly who he was quoting, Chara narrowed his eyes dangerously as he charged straight at Asriel, who's taken a position of retaliation. The blade of his Real Knife extended, making it look more like a sword than a knife. Asriel swiftly countered as a Chaos Blade formed in his paws and parried the red pulsing blade, and they clashed with streams of angelic rainbow and demonic red magic flowing everywhere. They then pushed away from one another, sliding against the ground in opposite directions before coming to a stop. Chara's Real Knife returned to it's usual size. He looked amused when he saw that Frisk witnessed the entire thing without batting an eye.

"Not gonna join in, Frisk?"

"He doesn't want to fight. So he'll have to play support." Asriel answered. "Keep your eyes on me, Chara."

Chara grinned as he raised himself up and slashed in a diagonal arc. Asriel thrusts his paw and an array of flames shot out and the attacks canceled each other out with a mixed explosion of colors. The Fallen Child leaps through the smoke and slashes at Asriel. The latter flashed away before it could connect, leaving a deep slash mark in the ground. He turned to see the Prince a couple feet away from him, unscathed. All he did in response was grin. A worthy challenge he sought, and a worthy one he has received.

"You're definitely proving to be quite harder to kill than most others."

"I'm just getting started."

"Foolish brother. **You seem think you're in control. Something neither of you have ever had. It all belongs to me."**

"...You're right about that. You've taken control of everyone's hopes and dreams...over our very destinies, and you've bended them all to your will." Asriel narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "But starting today... **we're taking them all back!** "

And thus, the area of the Barrier fluctuated with angelic and demonic waves of magic clashing against one another, shaking the foundation of the Underground.

 **(Snowdin)**

"alrighty then, fake, bland, and yet still somewhat good-lookin' versions of us." Sans said to the groups Void doubles, as both of his eyes flowed with cyan magic, and his Gaster Dragons growled in response to their Master's call. **"let's dance."** As he said before, time to test these Gaster Dragons out. He snapped his fingers, and all of their jaws opened and gathered with particle energy. Much larger and _much_ more powerful than before, and they fired off the beams of energy. All of the Void copies had to do their best to get away from the blast, but ultimately took damage anyway due to the area and splash damage having a _much_ bigger radius, and it sent them flying in different directions. There were craters in the ground, and there was lightning residue left behind, crackling over the area.

Sans' eyes sparkled the exact same way they do when Papyrus comes home with ketchup as part of groceries. His grin even widened to more epic proportions than before. "ohohoho...yes. all of my yes. i'm _**really**_ gonna appreciate this...huh?" Void Sans has warped right behind him, and his own now inferior but still damaging Gaster Blasters shoot at his counterpart. Sans turned a little, only to see Papyrus using his orange glowing bone rapier to jab right into the center of the grayish blast, splitting it in two and sending the days flying in two horizontally different directions. The second blaster fires another beam, only for Papyrus to manifest a magically dense and large bone in his hands and batted the energy away, harmlessly into the air above.

"NO ATTACKING WHILE OUR BACKS OUR TURNED, NOT-SANS!" Papyrus declared, his scarf flowing. Sans could only smile proudly.

 _man. my bro is such a badass._

Though like his brother said, he had to regain his focus. He watched as Void Papyrus had shoots towards Sans at high speed. One of his Gaster Dragons appeared right in front of him and blocked the bones with it's tail growling fiercely and protectively. _heh. i may have found my new guard dogs._

Papyrus for one has been fighting differently than all of the others. He was the only one who was main defensive. His glowing bone rapier had been effective in parrying the Gaster Blaster attacks heading his way. He deflected them in different directions, making sure they didn't harm anyone in their way. Void Sans was relentless in the blast attacks, though Papyrus was undeterred.

"THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS NOT INTIMIDATED BY YOU, NOT-SANS. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU DO OR NOT, I SHALL DEFEAT YOU HANDILY!" He chanted while a large bone rose up from the ground, where Void Sans was riding on one of the Gaster Blaster heads, shattering it into pieces and making Void Sans crash into the ground. He was up in a couple moments. "HAVEN'T HAD ENOUGH? VERY WELL! THE BATTLE CONTINUES! NYEH HEH HEH!"

"That's right, Papyrus! Remember your training!" Undyne grinned. Then she turned towards Void Mettaton across from her. "As for _you_..." She snarled while cracking her knuckles. "I've been waiting to find an excuse to kick Mettaton's stuck-up narcissistic ass without hurting Alphys's feelings for a _loooooooong_ time. Now I've finally found one. It's as close as I'm gonna get, and I'm gonna take advantage of it."

Alphys was a bit nervous. Mettaton Neo's defenses weren't perfected in a Geno Timeline because she didnt have enough time for it. Void Mettaton Neo was less likely to suffer the same weakness, and was more likely to be stronger, and with extra features. She also noted that if the real Mettaton was here, he'd be disgusted and offended with Void Mettaton Neo's lack of color. Her eyes widened as the cannon on his arm charged up with gray energy, which would have been purple if the original had used it, and fired a precise blast towards Undyne. Her response was to manifest a stronger white spear, twirl it so fast that it formed a circle, and watch as it deflected the blast headed her way, as well as dissipating it within seconds. She stopped twirling in time to see that the Void robot was attempting to kick at her while she was using such a defensive move. Though she had quickly side stepped such a kick and grabbed him by said leg, tossing him a few feet away and watching him tumble through the snow. She manifested another spear in her hands.

"You're gonna have to try a little harder than _**THAT.**_ " Her grin turned absolutely predatory while she said these, now known to her, infamous words.

...was it wrong of Alphys to find that a bit hot?

Though she didn't have time to ponder it, as she sensed a shadow looming over her. She turned around nervously to see Void Asgore looming over over her, trident in hand, and glaring down on her. She temporarily forgot she's gotten a magical power boost, and could only let out a terrified:

" _Meep_."

Alphys feels like she's going to have a bad time.

 **(The Barrier)**

Chara grunts as a flow of flames blasts him in the chest, forcing him backwards against the ground. He recovers easily enough, and slashes through the air, sending a red crescent of magic towards Asriel. He avoided it easily enough, leaping to the side and watching it harmlessly impact the side of the wall behind him. He turned around in time to see Chara slash at him again, dodging with a well-timed back flip, landing a couple feet away. Having a boost in agility is really helping here.

"You must be getting cocky, aren't you?"

"There's no reason to be. You're not really trying yet." Asriel said as he placed his paws together and gathering more fire within them.

"You really know your stuff, Asriel. But you and the other Dreemurr's are not the only ones who can play with fire." Chara said as black fire gathered in his hand, in a ball. When it became potent enough, he grinned sadistically and threw the black ball of fire at Asriel, who countered with his own white flames. The two pillars of fire clashed against one another, resulting in a large explosion that created a cloud of smoke around the area.

Asriel narrowed his eyes, trying to get a red on Chara's current location. _He's suppressing his magic..._ He deduced, and he looked around cautiously, he could reappear anywhere. Frisk was being sure to be cautious.

The Prince picked up in the killing intent behind him, and turned around quickly to see Chara leaping at him from behind, his eyes glowing a menacing red. **"Peekaboo~"** Asriel tried to block with a shield of flames, though Chara's slash proved to be the stronger attack, launching him across the ground a couple times before landing on his facedown, picking up dust around him. He recovered in a moment, standing up and patting his cheek, pulling back to see that the slash managed to cut it, and it drew blood. He shook his head and refocused on Chara...who's vanished again.

 _What?!_

 **"Shouldn't have taken your eyes off of me, little brother."** Asriel looked too late, as he felt another slash of magic graze his sides, and he ended up grasping the new mark and trying to defend himself from another potential attack. He tried to summon fire magic, but he ended upbeing forced to dodge a pillar of flames from below, slightly burning his left ear. He hissed from the pain, while Chara seemed to be enjoying himself.

Frisk looked on with concern, the battle was slowly shifting to Chara's favor. He clasped his hands and began to Hope for Asriel to be alright. The surprise was that this was also a source of magic, as Asriel found himself being healed, just a bit. Then he was able to dodge another slash of Chara's Real Knife. Despite being slashed at his arm, it didn't hurt as much as the last one. Them Frisk began to Dream that he, Asriel, and the others making it to the Surface together. A shimmer of white light surrounded Asriel. Even if he didn't heal by much, his stamina was fully restored, as he was able to stand up again without too much strain.

Chara's eyes widened, realization dawning on his face. _**THAT'S**_ _what Asriel meant about Frisk playing support! Frisk doesn't want to fight, and Asriel doesn't have the privilege to heal in the middle of one. So Frisk is doing the healing for him!_ He IMMEDIATELY broke away from Asriel and dashed straight towards Frisk, his Real Knife crackling a sickly red. **"NOT ON MY WATCH, FRISK!"** He jumped up high and slashed downwards. Though Frisk only had to hold out his hand as a green shield surrounds him like a bubble, rendering Chara's attack useless and bouncing him away. Chara growled fiercely as he got up to attack again. Though Frisk clapped his hands once, and Chara felt gravity around him get heavier. His eyes widened and disbelief when he saw that his black soul just turned a darker shade of blue...AND a hint of purple, which was Karmic Retribution, from when he failed to injure Frisk and bounced off his green shield. **"W-What...?! _NO WAY!_ " **

" _Way._ " Asriel shoots another wave of fire magic at Chara's back, making him shout out in pain and send him flying away from Frisk, eventually regaining his balance. He ignored his scorched back long enough to be angry about his current situation.

 _So that's the main difference between their powers._ Chara analyzed, looking towards Asriel. _Asriel's gained more power despite te fact that he didn't absorb the human souls...he said that they provided a fraction of each of their soul powers to him, greatly expanding his arsenal and giving him ideas for creative attacks, hence why his soul is now rainbow. Even without the raw power of absorbing the souls completely, his skills has increased and expanded dramatically._ He turned to Frisk. _As for Frisk, he's able to use Hope and Dream in order to help Asriel heal as well as enhance his defenses. Not only that, even if it's mostly defensively, he can now switch soul modes at will instead of being forced into them! Even the gravity power of the blue soul and the trapping power of the purple soul are within his reach!_ Chara clenched his fists. _Damn them...Damn them both!_

"Chara? Are you okay?" Asriel asked, his head tilted to the side. "You look frustrated about something." He turned his head back and shrugged. "Guess you finally get that we're stronger than you thought we were, huh?"

Chara's aura darkened as his eyes and began oozing the same black liquid, giving him that same demonic look. Asriel and Frisk were not intimidated in the least. **"You think you're _soooooo_ cute, don't you?!" **

"Doesn't feel so good to be on the losing side for once, does it Chara?"

The response was a guttural roar from the child, then charging at Asriel, his Real Knife now covered in sinister black flames instead of red magic. Asriel countered ad a Chaos Saber formed in his paws, and he swung diagonally, just like his brother was doing. The blades clashed against one another, and it resulting in yet another blinding white explosion. Frisk had to put a shield around himself to defend from the aftershock.

Two Lost Memories played for Asriel and Chara...

 **(Memory)**

"Chara, what do you think we should do today?" Asriel chirped, sitting next to his new foster brother in the living room. Asgore was off doing his whole 'Kingly Duties' as Asriel puts it, while Toriel stayed home to watch the boys. Right now, she was out for groceries, and sternly told the boys not to leave the house until she returned.

"I can tell you this, I don't feel like listening to Mother go on for hours and hours about snails in her little snail book. Snails are boring. And gross."

"Aw come on! Her snail pie isn't _that_ bad!"

Chara looked at Asriel with a mix of disbelief and utter disgust. "You actually eat it... _and_ like it?!"

Asriel shrugged. "I was a bit skeptical about it too, but I got used to it after giving it a try." He smiled. "The sliminess of them makes them even better!"

"...Yep. It's official. You and Mother are gross."

"But Charaaaaaaa..."

"Nope. G-R-O-S-S. _Gross_. You can enjoy your little slimy icky snail pie if you want to." Chara turned around and folded his arms, closing his eyes. "I prefer NOT to be gross like the two of you, so I'll pass."

Asriel pouted childishly. "What about that saying? 'Don't knock it until you've tried it?'"

"Oh, I'm not just gonna knock it. I'm gonna knock it down into the fireplace to get rid of evidence that I didn't eat it."

"Hmph...well...if you don't want it, can I have it?"

"Fine by me. See? Works out for both us."

"My children! I'm home!" Their conversation was cut short by the sound of the door opening up, and Toriel stepping through with grocery bags in her arms. She set them down on the kitchen table and dusted herself off. "The shops were much more crowded than usual. It must have been a slow day. Regardless, I'm trusting the two of you haven't done anything mischievous while I was out?"

"Not at all, Mama!" Asriel smiled, while Chara simply rolled his eyes. This was noticed by Toriel.

"Chara...you haven't been up to mischief... _right_?"

The boy sighed. "I go out and jumpscare a Froggit ONE TIME..."

"It was three times."

"He was asking for it!"

"You know he can't understand what you're saying!"

Chara groaned. Stupid Froggit. Chara couldn't understand him, and vice-versa. The monster really irritates him, so he thought he'd give him a bit of a scare considering he's always stupidly jumping around, scaring him one time. Jumpescare. Jump...scare...oh god, it was a pun. Chara made a mental note to slap himself later. "Alright. I didn't do anything mischievous. Prince's honor."

Toriel still had a questioning eyebrow raised towards him, but she ultimately let it go. "Alright. I've gotten the two of you some snacks since I was unable to stock on much ingredients for Butterscotch Cinnamon Pie. So I just got Asriel a pack of Cinnamon Bunnies, and Chara a bar of chocolate."

Chara's eyes twinkled. "...Chocolate?" He swiftly reached into one of the bags and pulled out the bar of chocolate. His eyes twinkled again. "Ooooooohhh!" In no time at all, he unwrapped the chocolate bar and took a bite out of it with an audible 'Nom~'.

Toriel chuckled softly. "It seems that I've chosen correctly. You've lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of chocolate."

"Mmmmmhmmm..." Chara just gave a soft nod in response, focused entirely on eating the chocolate in his hands. Asriel smiled cheerfully.

"Golly. I guess we gotta start being chocolate for you more often, huh?"

Chara swallowed the treat in his mouth, and turned towards Asriel and Toriel wit leftover chocolate on his cheeks. "About every single day would be nice." He said this with complete seriousness, which only made Asriel and Toriel laugh even more.

 **(Memory)**

" _Chara...Chara!_ "

The human boy opened his eyes slowly as he sees Asriel standing on the side of his head, clutching his pillow and trying to keep his tears from falling. Chara sighed. "Asriel...why are you up? And why are you crying?"

"I...had...*sniff*...I had another n-nightmare..." Asriel whimpered softly, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "

"So?"

"Can...Can I sleep with you?"

Chara groaned in slight annoyance. "Asriel...if you're so freaked out by your nightmare, why don't you go sleep with Mother and Father?"

"T-Then...then you'd be all alone in here..."

"You think I'm not used to sleeping all by myself?"

"I-It's not that...It's just...*sniff*...I just..."

"Asriel, you're the Prince of Monsters for crying out loud! You can't keep getting freaked out over some petty nightmares." Chara watched his brother silently cry while simultaneously trying to stop his tears and runny nose. After a while he couldn't take it anymore, and sighed with resignation. "Ugh...get in, you big crybaby." He lifted his blanket so Asriel could scoot in, and closed it over them again. Asriel immediately clung to him, his eyes shut tight. The boy rolled his eyes in response, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around him as well.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Chara...I'm n-not as brave...or as strong...as you..."

"Forget it. You're the younger brother, so you're kinda supposed to be weak, as well as be a big baby about some things. But for both our sakes, I need you to at least try to get better at dealing with these things. You're royalty. Royalty needs to be strong. They don't get bogged down by stupid nightmares. Alright?"

Asriel hiccuped slightly, nuzzling onto Chara's chest and answering with a soft and gentle nod. "O-Okay..."

"Good. Now go to sleep before you start crying again. I don't want monster snot all over my shirt." Asriel took his advice and relaxed a little bit, managing to let out a couple more hiccups just to get them out of his system, and finally fell asleep with soft breathing. Chara looked at him with a bit of annoyance. "You're such a baby. What am I gonna do with you...?"

Despite what he was saying, he was softly petting the fur on the back of Asriel's head, assisting in making his descent into slumber a bit more peaceful...

 **(Present)**

Asriel and Chara flew back on opposite sides, crashing and tumbling along the ground, before recovering and getting back on their feet. Both have taken a now significantly noticeable amount of damage. Asriel's Delta Rune robes were slightly torn, there cuts on his face, including one down his eye, and his left eye was only halfway open from swolling, and blood was running down said eye from his forehead. His eyes were pained, but they were still calmer than his opponent. Chara's damage was a bit worse. His Delta Rune robes was also torn and ripped, blood ran down his arms and forehead. His right eye was all the way close, while his left was glowing red with rage.

 **"Grrrr...you just won't lie down and die, will you?! You should know that I've already killed you plenty of times before!"**

"I was a helpless, soulless flower on every one of those runs, _and_ I was vastly afraid of you. Neither of those are the case here." Asriel replied strongly. "You're just upset because you know that your victory can't come easily here. It can even be snatched away. And by me of all monsters, and Frisk of all humans."

Frisk calls out to Chara, recognizing that both he and Asriel were beginning to run low on magic. He sternly tells Chara to _stop fighting_. The boy could only spit the blood out of his mouth and glare even harder.

 **"Not gonna happen, Frisk. Don't you remember? I'm filled with DETERMINATION!"**

"That makes three of us." Asriel replied calmly.

Chara's response was to roar with renewed rage and run at the Prince with his Real Knife drawn, and Asriel's was to gather an array of stars in his paws...

 **(Snowdin)**

"NotgoodnotgoodnotgoodnotgoodnotgoodNOTGOOD!"

Alphys was most certainly having a bad time.

Void Asgore has been chasing her relentlessly, jabbing at her with with his gray Trident and blasting balls of fire at her that she clumsily and desperately dodges. How she wished she was more nimble than she actually was. Hell, being a better fighter would probably help too. Even if she's gotten an increase in magical power, how does she use it? She's never been involved in a major fi-

"Gah!" She jumped up as a fireball nearly hit her in the back, scorching the ground below her. "Oh no, oh no, oh no! W-What do I do!?"

"Alphys! You've got this!" Undyne shouted to her as she deflects yet another blast of energy by Void Mettaton Neo. "Everyone's hopes and dreams are resting on these battles!" She took an extended kick to the chest without flinching, grabbed said leg, and slammed him into the ground. "We're going to the surface together, AND making it stick, remember?! I know you can become better than you think you are! This is an important time to prove it!"

Alphys thought over those words of encouragement. She's thought over her own insecurities. She thought about how mentally strong Geno Alphys was when accepting she had nothing else to lose, and how she wanted Alphys to be strong somewhat like her without those kinds of sacrifices. Alphys has also promised that she'd reveal the truth about what she's done, and do her best to atone for it. Though if she can't preserve the timeline and make sure it never RESETS again, it won't matter. Her future with Undyne can never be permanent, if she doesn't take action. A lot of her suffering was due to the fact that she's been far too afraid to take direct action for things. For conflicts like these, that can't get in her way of doing what she needed to do. Fear and self-diubt has never stopped Undyne.

Alphys shook her head. _I-I d_ _ont care if I'm afraid! I-I c-can't let our f-future be d-destroyed again!_ She stopped running for a moment, turned around and waved her arms. "O-Over here, Void Asgore!" The Void Copy took her bait as he jabbed his trident at her relentlessly. She jumped up, watching the tri-blade plunge into the ground, and landed on the pole. She held it tightly as lightning surrounded her. "And S-SHOCK!" Lightning sparked and, since connected to him, sent intense lightning throughout the copy's body. Enough to bring the copy to his knees while he was smoking from the attack. She jumped upwards, then onto the copy's back. "A-Another!" Another intense pulse of lightning strikes the Void Copy. It wasn't able to take the second shock, and disappeared in a glitchy manner as she fell on her back, breathing heavily. Asgore was super tough whether he was a copy or not, so she used up a huge majority of her enhanced magic in bringing him down. Though all that mattered was that she managed it.

Undyne turned towards Alphys and grinned proudly. "That's my girl!"

Alphys placed her paws on her cheeks as her now crimson head immensely contrasted with the yellow scales the rest of her body. _S-She called me her g-girl! HER girl! Oh my God, this is the best day ever!_ Pause. _E-Even with it's ups and downs..._

Undyne turned towards Void Mettaton Neo, once again deflecting another blast from his arm cannon. "Now you're just pissing me off, you fake piece of junk!" She clenched her fist tightly and rushed for him with a forceful punch to his metallic face, knocking him back a couple feet stopping. Not taking the chance, Undyne raised her hand and a large spear rose from the ground beneath Void Mettaton Neo, impaling him through his midsection and raising him up in the air. Then she swiftly dissipated the spear and watched as Void Mettaton Neo fell to the ground with smoke following him, and exploded right when he hit the ground. The explosion picked up wind, which blew Undyne's hair back for a couple seconds until it stopped, and she twirled her spear in a fit of her victory.

Toriel was relieving her previous battle with Undyne with Void Undyne the Undying. The Void Monster was relentless, constantly throwing a wave of spears at her seemingly without end. However, the flames around Toriel was successful in blocking off every and any spears that came close to her. They incinerated every spear that tried to attack her, and she retaliated by shooting a fireball of her own. Though the moment they made contact with Void Undyne's chest, they exploded and sent her flying backwards, picking up snow trails from how hard she crashed. When she attempted to recover, she was forced to swiftly dodge as more fireballs rained down upon her, though even more flames struck her sides to keep her from being too mobile. Being struck with a series of burns slowed her down. Enough for Toriel to gather up more fire around her. Fire clung to her robes, then climbed up to her paw, which she raised up towards the Void Knight. They intensify in her paw as a large and wide wave of fire shoots from her palm and engulfs the Void Knight. She hears her glitch out of existence, and lowered her paw.

 _I've spent a large amount of time allowing my kingdom to suffer and burn because of my own misgivings. That shall cease today!_

Asgore showed a bit of hesitation when he saw himself fighting Void Toriel, but reminded himself that the real one was still right beside him. It reaffirmed his will, and swing his flaming Trident and slashed at Void Toriel. She was able to defend with a wall of flames, but not for long. The force ultimately pushed through her defense, sending her flying across the snow. Not waiting for recovery, he gathers a large amount of fire in his paw...then it turned bright blue. He clenched the fist and shot it forwards, sending a strong wave of blue fire towards the still moving Void Toriel, incinerating her and glitching out of existence. He jabbed his trident into the ground in triumph.

 _In order to help ensure our people's future...as well as my newly revived family's future...I must continue keep living for them!_

The last two Void Copies, Void Papyrus and Void Sans, decided to stick together and face off against the genuine articles.

"HMMM...I SENSE A CHALLENGE." Papyrus noted while tapping his skull, and his bone rapier on hand. Sans walked up to him, his Gaster Dragons followed behind him.

"heh. guess we'd better give em' what they want. let's show em' what the _real_ skeleton bros can do."

"THAT WE SHALL, SANS! THAT WE SHALL! NYEH HEH HEH!"

The Void Copies struck first, sending a storm of bones heading towards the originals. Papyrus responds with a large wall of bones blocking the projectiles, as well as holding strong against the strong energy beams of the Gaster Blasters from Void Sans. It stayed strong as Sans' Faster Dragons rose into the air and shot their superior, more powerful lasers from their jaws towards the Void Copies, who only barely dodges the blue explosions that followed them. In desperation, though the emotion is not shown on their faces, Void Papyrus shoots much larger, much more powerful bones towards Papyrus, while Void Sans shoots about five Gaster Blasters towards Sans. Both of them closed their eyes as they uttered these words simultaneously:

"HERE WE GO!/here we go."

Papyrus slowly drew his bone rapier once again. His eyes opened swiftly as he disappeared in a blur. After he did, all of the bones that were shot his way, including the large ones, were unceremoniously sliced up into tiny pieces and harmlessly hits the ground. Void Papyrus was in disbelief and tried to retaliate, though Papyrus reappears behind him, his scarf flowing and bone rapier shining. "ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES, NOT-ME." All of a sudden, a vertical slash appeared on Void Papyrus's chest, and he glitched and disappeared. "BUT THERE CAN ONLY BE _ONE_ GREAT PAPYRUS PER TIMELINE."

Void Sans has fired all five Gaster Blasters towards Sans, who's eyes flowed brilliant cyan as his grin widens to epic proportions once again. "so it's a beam spam, just like me. heh. too bad for you, yours is still weaker." To demonstrate, only one of the Gaster Dragons stepped up in front of Sans to counter the incoming blasts. Once more, particle energy gathers in it's jaws, albeit a bit more than before. After a moment of charging, Sans thrusts his bony hand upwards towards his copy, and the Gaster Dragon fires it's powerful laser towards him. It clashes with the power of the five blasters for a mere moment, before completely overpowering them and continuing towards Void Sans until the blast engulfs him in the blue light. It wasn't even five seconds before it glitches and disappeared. The light disappears, and the Gaster Dragon closes it's jaws.

"NYEH HEH HEH! VICTORY FOR THE SKELETON BROTHERS!/ _geeeeeeeetttt_ dunked on, ya cheap void knockoffs!"

"HAH! WE WON! THE ORIGINALS ARE SUPREME!" Undyne changed triumphantly, glowing with a white flash of light before it disappears, and she is seen in her casual attire again with no damage whatsoever. Alphys took a moment to let out a _deep_ sigh of relief from this. Now she's able to control the transformation at will, and not die from it.

Sans smiled. "i guess they've suffered..." he raised his hands. "a _bone-crushing_ defeat?"

Papyrus shot his head towards Sans, stomping childishly. "CURSE YOU, SANS! NOW THE VICTORY IS BITTERSWEET INSTEAD OF JUST SWEET!"

"always knew you had a _sweet-tooth,_ pap."

"THIS IS NO LONGER A VICTORY MATCHING THE GREAT PAPYRUS'S STANDARDS!"

Asgore raised his trident with new found confidence. "Victory is ours!" He then placed it behind his back and walked towards Toriel, who's paws were clasped in silent, desperate prayer. His eyes lowered a bit as he placed his paws on her shoulders while looking in the same direction she was, where the intense clashes of magic originated. "Now...the future rests upon them...and the aftermath..."

Toriel gazed towards the direction of the Barrier. She really wanted nothing more than to break up the fight between her two children and potential third child. And that's the exact type of attitude that will make her a liability than an asset. She had to stay back and trust that it ends well, thought it didn't stop her from praying for it.

 _Asriel...Frisk...Chara...I beg of you...don't die. All three of you need to return to me alive and well, and into my loving and caring arms where you each equally belong. Otherwise..._ A tear of intense maternal concern ran down her cheek and fell into the snow below her.

 _My heart and my soul...won't be able to take it again!_

 **(The Barrier)**

"AGH!" Asriel crashed against the wall, lightly cracking it. Chara dashed straight for him and kunged the Real Knife into his chest. Though Asriel managed to redirect it with a push of a wrist, and it was instead embedded in his shoulder. It still hurt like hell.

 **"DAMMIT ASRIEL! Be a good little crybaby Prince and _LET ME KILL YOU!_ " **

Asriel's answer was to grab Chara's wrist really tightly with both of his paws, and his eyes flashed quickly. **" _SHOCKER BREAKER II!_ " **Magical and colorful bolts of lightning stemmed from Asriel's paws and latched onto Chara, dealing severe electrocution damage through his body and erupting loud howls of pain from the boy before he pulled the Real Knife out of his shoulder and pulling back to try and recover. Though Asriel didn't give him the chance, as he brought his paws upwards. _**"GALACTA BLAZING!"**_ A storm of stars rained down upon Chara and struck him in multiple places on his body, before the final, large one struck him dead-on. It explodes and also barrages him with stars on a higher scale, before he finally crumpled to the ground, heavily wounded.

Chara ground his teeth together while he looked up towards Asriel, who was covered in a shimmer of light. Frisk was using Hope and Dream again, healing Asriel just slightly, as well as restoring his stamina repeatedly. The Prince looked down on him as the wind howled, lightly swaying his torn Delta Rune robes as well as his floppy ears. Yet the fierce look in his eyes suggested that he was far from done. But that's not what Chara was frustrated about. Not at all.

What really pissed him off was the difference between this battle and the battle with Sans. While the latter had killed him multiple times, and he comes back without using LOAD, before finally defeating him. Asriel...Asriel has beaten him into the ground constantly. Despite this, he hasn't killed him _once_. Not only was this humiliating, but it'd be impossible to kill him because if it gets too hairy, Frisk would form a barrier around himself and Asriel and give him some time to recover. Whenever he tries to attack one, the other IMMEDIATELY comes to their defense before knocking him back and sending him back to square one.

In short, trying to defeat these two together all by himself was proving to be **_impossible_**. He sensed his Void Clones were defeated, and he was too low on magic to summon more. Chara was definitely **DETERMINED**. But patience was way out of his ability. And he has clearly evaporated all of his patience from fighting the two of them. He snarled viciously as he stood back up. **"You're not going to win...I refuse to let you win. I'M THE ONE WHO'S SUPPOSED TO WIN! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DIE AND TURN TO DUST!"**

"That's not going to happen, Chara." Asriel stayed calm despite the fact that his brother was getting more frustrated by the second. "This is all going to end here. You're exhausting all of your magic faster than I am. It's time to give up."

 **"Save me the theatrics, Asriel. Frisk can't heal you forever. Sooner or later, HE'S going to run out of magic, too."** Chara grinned menacingly as he clutched tightly onto the Real Knife. **"Then the both of you can be ERASED together!"**

"Then I think it's about time we've ended this now. With one last Memory." Asriel said while clutching onto his Heart Locket. He flowed his magic into it, and it began to glow brightly. In response, Chara's Locket began to glow as well, greatly shocking him. "You may have been using me as a pawn at some point, Chara. But there's no way you can deny that you grew to care for me, and Mom and Dad. And this last memory is going to prove that deep down, you deeply regret your decisions." He closed his eyes softly, while Chara's continued to widen.

 **"W-WHAT?! What are you showing me?!"**

"Something you've clearly forgotten...but I didn't." Asriel said softly while closing his eyes. "It's not a day I could ever forget. The day...when true, genuine, and complete happiness graced your face."

A Special Lost Memory plays for Asriel and Chara...

 **(Play "His Theme" ;v;)**

Chara blinked in confusion and awe at the scene before him. He had just gotten out of bed and walked out of his room alongside Asriel. He was't prepared for Toriel and Asgore both wearing smiles that were even larger and brighter than usual. Asriel's just as bright smile gave the impression that he knew what was going on, and was really happy about it. Before he could ask him:

"Happy Birthday, My Children!" Toriel announced joyously, lightly clasping her paws together.

"Happy Birthday, Kids." Asgore also said, his grin jolly and wide.

Chara simply blinked in confusion, utterly baffled. "Birth...day...?"

"Mmhm. Asriel told us that during your time on the surface, your date of birth was never acknowledged, so no one knows when it is, not even you." Asgore explained. "So he made the decision for the two of you to share his birthday date."

Chara's eyes widened as he turned towards Asriel in shock. "Asriel...you...?"

"You said your birthday was never recorded...so I asked Mom and Dad to share with mine!" Asriel said with a beaming smile. "You've been with us for a couple months, now...I want to do this for you. I can't imagine someone going through their entire lives without a happy birthday!" Asriel ran up towards the kitchen table, where a small present lies, and brought it back to Chara. "This one is for the both of us. Come on, open it!"

While still trying to catch up to the rapid change in atmosphere from normal to completely happy. With little choice and cheerful encouragement from the other three, Chara opened up the box. Inside, lies two Heart Lockets. Engraved on it, lies the words: _"Best Friends Forever"_ Chara blinked owlishly at the words, while Asriel eagerly grand his own and places it over his head. "Do you like it, Chara? It represents how close we are!"

Chara was still incredibly lost on all of this. How much did they really care about him? Up until now, his existence was brought up with a small glance, and nothing more. And yet for the few months that the Dreemurrs have taken him into their family, their love for him have been close to endless and immense every single day, most affectionately from Asriel and Toriel, and most protectively from Asgore. It was so new to him. So foreign.

He just...didn't understand as well as he probably thought he should. "...Why?" It was such a weak question in so many ways, but it was the only thing he could say to this at the moment.

Asriel looked at Chara strangely. "What do you mean 'Why?' It's a kind thing to do! You deserve to be happy for your birthday, Chara. Even if it might not be the exact date, celebrating the day you were born should be a happy time!"

"But why do this for me? Why are you all so insistent on giving this kind of happiness to me?"

Asriel blinked a little bit, trying to think of what to say. After a while, he scratched his cheek sheepishly with a single claw, and smiled awkwardly. "Well...it's just something we felt like doing, Chara. Because...we want you to be happy, Chara. We're very glad that you were born."

Mixed emotions filled Chara's soul. Amongst them were confusion, a hint of sadness, a touch of wonder...and genuine happiness. All of the Dreemurr's were smiling at Chara affectionately, and the parents were most likely thinking the same thing that Asriel said. The smallest of smiles graced his face, and a bit of tears ran down his cheeks.

This is what...love feels like. It feels...

 _Nice._

 **(Present)**

Chara's grip on his Real Knife trembled a bit. Asriel could see that he was getting through. "Even if you were planning to use me the entire time...you grew to love your new family."

 **"...Shut Up."**

"You've finally accepted that our love for you was real. But you were already so damaged by whatever the humans did to you. You hated them for forcing the monsters who were so nice to you Underground. Your hatred for them was able to surpass your love for us, even if just for a moment. Then your scheme with the buttercups came into play. I absorbed your soul, and we crossed the Barrier. But I refused to kill the humans of your village. My restraint got the both of us killed. And as much as you hated me for allowing the plan to fail...you hated yourself even more for making the plan in the first place."

 **"Shut Up, Asriel!"**

"That's where your LOVE comes from, isn't it? You hated everything. But you hated yourself most of all. You couldn't forgive yourself for what you've done and what you've caused, and you felt like you didn't deserve anyone else's forgiveness, either. So you tried to purposefully become as unforgivable as you possibly can, and your hatred took over from there. You've completely disregarded redemption being an option because you felt like you were too far gone and have done too much harm...but I don't believe that."

Frisk readily agrees with Asriel, telling Chara that everyone can become a good person if they just try. A glimmer of a good person DID reside within Chara. But he tried to discard it through any means he could, to no avail. Because no matter what timeline...he hung onto his own Heart Locket. It proved that that glimmer is still there. He tells Chara that it's time to let go of his hatred of everything and everyone, including himself, or he'll never be truly happy.

 **"...N...No...NO!"** Chara shook his head violently. **"You're both IDIOTS! You're not supposed to SPARE me, or offer me Redemption! I'm a DEMON!"**

"I already told you. Your name is Chara Dreemurr." Asriel stated strongly, as he began walking towards him. Chara flinched as he slashed a red magic crescent at Asriel. He easily walked to the side, as it flew past him harmlessly.

 **"THE ANGEL OF DEATH!"**

"The adopted son of the King and Queen of Monsters, Asgore and Toriel Dreemurr." Asriel continued. Chara snarled but took a step back before slasing in a diagonal arc. Asriel merely tilted his head to the right, and it once again flew right past him with no harm.

 **"My...my soul carries no love, only LOVE! It's dark, hollow, and empty!"**

"If that were true, you wouldn't be wearing that Locket." Asriel replied confidently. "You're also the slightly older brother of the Prince of all Monsters, who is me. And above all..." Chara was in a full-on panic now, as he began slashing rapidly at Asriel. Though his aim was getting sloppier and less accurate, as Asriel was able to dodge them all effortlessly.

 **"ENOUGH ALREADY! _PLEASE_! PLEASE JUST GIVE UP AND _FALL!"_** Chara shouted in complete and utter desparation, gathering the remains of his magic and slashing downwards at Asriel with all of his might. He was awestruck and horrified when the Prince thrusted his paw outward as a large transparent star acted as his shield, clashing against the magic slash until it completely dissipated. The star disappeared, and Asriel was now right in front of the horrified Chara.

"You're my best friend."

 **"DAMN YOU! _DIE!_ " **Chara shouted in defiance as he slashed his Real Knife towards Asriel horizontally. The prince easily ducked under it, and jumped towards Chara. His arms immediately wrapped around his neck and he pulled him close to him, chest to chest, and their heads were also very close. They were close enough for Asriel to whisper and his words will be clear enough for Chara to hear.

 **(Stop Music)**

"Chara...I love you."

Chara completely froze up at the brave and upfront gesture, as well as the words that were spoken. His killing intent noted that Asriel has left himself wide open, and that he should take advantage of the opportunity.

But he refused.

"I forgive you." Asriel continued. "We know you're not really happy with what you've been doing, and yet you believe that you're too far gone for reformation. But that's not true. There's always a chance for you to change your ways. Your sins are heavy...but they're not unmanageable. You can still turn around, Chara. I want to take both your hand and Frisks hand, and we can create a path to a new bright and happy future. Together. Grudges and vengeance has been another major factor in the clash of humans and monsters...it's time for that to end."

Frisk walks up to the duo and also hugs Chara, resulting in the both of them hugging the child. He softly tells him that he knows how tired he is. He notes how Chara has been through a lot, just like Asriel and Frisk. But they were able to become better people after others helped through their suffering. Frisk smiles softly while telling Chara that loneliness doesn't have to be his path. All of Chara's hatred, all of his self-loathing, all of his LOVE, will never bring him true happiness. Frisk tells him that the only way Chara can achieve true happiness...was to let them go.

Chara wanted to speak, but found himself unable to. Tears leaked out of his eyes, which had completely gone back to normal. Slowly, he placed his arms around both Asriel and Frisk, shut his eyes tightly, and began to cry. Asriel and Frisk didn't move from their spots, continuing to hold him in their trio hug. Asriel and Frisk have SPARED Chara, and it ends up working. A door to happiness was now close to being opened.

...It wasn't yet over, however. There was one last thing to do for Chara. Hatred that builds up timeline after timeline doesn't get RESET like everything else. It builds up, it grows stronger, more influential, until it eventually evolves into it's own entity...which is exactly what the human souls were informing them about. The hatred within Chara was powerful, if left unchecked, it could regain control and then cause more destruction. The only way to make sure Chara doesn't fall prey to it again...

"Chara...I need you to trust me. And for you to hold still." Asriel says as soothingly as possible. Chara wonders what he meant by this, until he felt his soul phase out of his body, still pulsing a horrendous and insidious black. Asriel placed his paws onto the soul, and his paws began glowing with magic. He focused on the soul, and grasped the coal colored soul. Then he narrowed his eyes and pulled with a single, strong tug. The pain only lasted a couple moments for Chara, as the blackness flew off of his soul while he fell to his knees gasping for breath. Frisk hurriedly helped him up. The three of them turned towards the dark soul, which began manifesting into a shape...vaguely close to Chara's. It hissed angrily at it's predicament. While Chara...he was shocked that his soul was a bright red again, just like Frisk's.

 **"YOU...WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO, DREEMURR?!"**

"I cut off a half of Chara's hatred that was purely demonic...that's you." Asriel explained. "You embody his hatred. It grew so powerful over the repeated timelines that it formed it's own entity. Once again, that's you. Chara's soul is now free from it's demonic half." Frisk shortens the explanation by calling it a sort of exorcism over a time-hopping demon. "Er...yeah. I guess that's a way to put it."

 **"...SO THAT'S IT. YOU SEPARATED ME FROM CHARA...SO YOU COULD ERASE ME WITH NO JARM TO HIM. WELL YOU CAN FORGET IT! I WON'T DISAPPEAR THAT EASILY!"**

Chara gasped as the black mass leaped at him, latching onto his left arm and attempting to rebond itself to him, though it was causing him great pain in the process, judging by his shouting. "GET OFF OF HIM!" Asriel shouted angrily as he tried to grab onto Chara and pull him away. Though the demonic soul also tried to grip onto Asriel, latching onto his right arm.

 **"YOU ARE NOT ERASING ME! I'LL DRAG YOU BOTH INTO THE DARKNESS! I'M GOING TO RESET THIS ENTIRE TIMELINE AND MAKE SURE ALL OF YOU ARE DESTROYED ON SIGHT!"**

Asriel glared fiercely at the demonic soul. There was no way they were going to lose all of their hard-earned progress, not now! They were close to fixing the many problems of the Underground, as well as helping ensure a happy and peaceful future between humans and monsters. There was NO WAY they were going to allow all of that to be undone! He tried to struggle as hard as he could, but the demonic soul was too persistent on his grip, he himself was exhausted, and he was low on magic. Though he did have enough for something drastic. Chara saw the look in Asriel's eyes, and nodded in agreement.

"Do it. The pain is nothing compared to the trauma we've been through up to now." Asriel nodded affirmatively, as he summons up his magic. A Chaos Saber materializes above them, and comes down on them at high speed, until...

SLASH!

The demonic soul's eyes widened in shock at the attack Asriel just pulled, letting go just before it got cut. **"W-WHAT?! YOU...YOU'RE CRAZY! YOU'D ACTUALLY-"** It was cut off by Frisk standing in front of the two children protectively. It snarled at him. **"YOU! FRISK! ITS ALWAYS BEEN YOU! YOU'RE ALWAYS GETTING IN MY WAY! EVEN IF SANS AND THE OTHERS HAD COME UP WITH A PLAN TO STOP ME, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ULTIMATELY GETS THE LAST CALL! I WILL ERASE YOU FIRST!"** It looms towards Frisk. Though it failed to notice that without it's host, Chara, it was slowly breaking down and rapidly losing strength. Soon enough, he was the same height as his host, as it raised a final, defying hand towards Frisk. **"FRIIIIIISSSSSK!"**

Frisk was unintimidated. Instead, he just calmly said: "Asriel and Chara...they are saved. Finally...both of them are free." With this, he raised a fist, pulled back, and punched the demonic soul looking like Chara. The soul began to crack like a mirror, untill it completely shattered into pieces, and then disappearing. Frisk pulled back his hand and walked towards Asriel and Chara, who were magicslly drained and physically exhausted, and helped them up, looking at them in concern. "Are you two...okay?"

"We're...we're fine, Frisk." Asriel panted, sweat matting his fur. Though he was smiling weakly. "That was quite a struggle...though...we won...it's over. We saved Chara..."

"Yeah...ya saved me..." Chara huffed, looking like he was going to fall over st any moment. "Though...I think I need to lie down...can we go to the Throne Room? At least there, the golden flowers are somewhat comfortable to lie on."

"Let me...help you..." Frisk said quietly as he assisted the two of them to the Throne Room. Frisk managed to leave the battle unscathed for the most part. Asriel and Chara took much more damage fighting each other...they were close to passing out.

They finally made it from the Barrier to the Throne Room with the golden flowers. At last, the three of them laid down on the soft, golden flowers. They lied in a triangle like formation, as they stared up at the ceiling tiredly, basking in the golden glow of the room, all three of them panting with exhaustion.

"So...you two finally did the impossible...you managed to save me. And slay the demonic hatred that clung to me after every RESET from the first Geno Run..." Chara panted, sweat going down his face. "So...what happens now...? Your friends are likely gonna sense that we're out of magic, and they'll be rushing towards our location. How are they gonna react to me...hell, how is SANS gonna react to me?"

"Let's worry about that when they get here. Right now...let's just rest and enjoy the silence. My everything hurts right now." Asriel chuckled weakly.

"Well of course things are gonna hurt, we were beating the crap out of each other. Heh...Mom's gonna be worried, relieved, AND pissed off all at once. We definitely won't survive that."

"Hehehe...yeah...hopefully she goes easy on us..." Asriel chuckled softly, as nervous sweat rsn down his fur at the thought of Toriel's reaction.

"Mom...will obviously worry...it's what she does." Frisk said softly. "But ultimately...she'll just be happy we're alive and well...for the most part."

"Heh...hope you're right, Frisk. I hope you're right..."

They didn't say anything else after that. They just stared at the ceiling, bathed in the golden light of the room, silently celebrating their accomplishment and just enjoying the peaceful silence.

The Three Angels of the Underground.

 _It's a beautiful day outside._

 _Birds are singing, flowers are blooming._

 _On days like this, these children of prophecy..._

 _...Should be taking a long-deserved rest._

* * *

 **Asriel: *Jumping with joy* WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE ACTUALLY DID IT! WE SAVED HIM!**

 **Frisk: *Happy nod***

 **Chara: Hi. I'm here now, so there's that.**

 **Me: Explanation for the whole Demonic Soul thing so you can at least understand how I came up with such ridiculousness. Every RESET after the very first Geno Run would expand and strengthen the hatred Chara's kept in his own soul, while he used Geno Frisk's soul to timeline leap. The process is slower on his own, which was what Geno Alphys was counting on. Many RESETS later, it's gotten so strong that it became it's own, significantly less intelligent but still dangerous, entity. So when Asriel cut it away from Chara's soul without lasting damage to him, it was easy for Frisk to finish it off. Anyway, it's up to you all if you think it's legit or not. But don't hate the entire story for it, please?**

 **Chara: I just can't believe how damn PAINFUL it was!**

 **Me: *Hands him a bar of chocolate to calm him down***

 **Chara: *Angry pout...but he takes the chocolate and begins nibbling it.* Freaking soul pain...how's everyone else gonna react to me?**

 **Asriel: *shrugs* I guess we'll find out next time...**

 **Frisk: *another nod***

 **The end of the story is near. A couple chapters left. Readers! Stay Determined!**

 **Chara: Damn ripoff. *Noms more chocolate* Anyway, that's all for now. Get outta here already.**


	21. The Dreemurr's Rebirth!

**Chara: Heh. Not everyone approves of how you decided to save me.**

 **Me: Don't you start! There was already a plethora of ways that people decided to save you too! I knew I was bound to unknowingly do one of them anyway, so I was like 'screw it! I pick this one!'**

 **Chara: Yeah yeah, whatever.**

 **Asriel: Come on, Chara. This is a happy time. Be happy~**

 **Frisk agrees with this.**

 **Chara: Hold on, Frisk. You were given dialogue in the last chapter when for most of the story, and you were given dialogue here. For a majority of the story, your words were described, not told.**

 **Frisk explains that he's pretty much the strong silent type a majority of the time, but he is NOT mute.**

 **Chara: Hmph. That excuse is so lame. *** **Frisk takes Chara's bar of chocolate. The latter blinks, and holds his hands out desperately, looking ready to cry* Nooooooo...give it baaaaaaccck... *Frisk hands chocolate back, Chara's tears disappear instantly* No one saw that!**

 **Asriel: *smiles* You're just a cute as we are, Chara!**

 **Chara: No! NO! I am not cute! You will NOT put me in that category because there is NOTHING cute about me! _NOTHING!_**

 **Asriel: *Pats Chara's rosy cheeks with both paws* Boop~**

 **Chara: *angry and embrassed blush* Just...start the chapter, damn you.**

 **I totally didn't name this chapter after my most favorite Undertale AU of all time. It's a complete coincidence...don't look at me like that!**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

You'd think that an absolute battle to the death between the Prince of Monsters/Angel Of Prophecy and a Pacifist Child against the Angel Of Death/The Fallen Child, would have a bit of a tense atmosphere. After all, timeliness were at stake, the future of humans of monsters were at stake...hell, the entire world was at stake! You'd expect that after such a long, grueling, and devastatingly emotional battle, they would be exhausted mentally, physically, and emotionally...

Well...they were. But they find it better to save all of that for another time, when everyone was a witness. While they awaited for the other monsters to get here, they were simply chilling out on the golden flowers after they've all caught their breath. Frisk accessed the Dimensional Box from his phone, and pulled out Legendary Heroes for for the three of them. One thing Frisk can definitely appreciate that monster food, with it's magical properties and whatnot, was much more beneficial than regular human food. They are _exceptionally_ excellent at healing wounds, curing status affects(gonna call em' illnesses on the surface) and restoring stamina by a great amount. Frisk turned towards Asriel and told him about this. Asriel blinked in realization and smiled widely.

"G-Golly, Frisk! I never even thought of that!" He said curiously as he realizes this. He would have went deeper into this...but found himself stuck. He awkwardly rubbed his neck with a sheepish laugh. "Er...I think we should get Alphys on that. We'll ask her about it!"

"Agreed." Chara noted while eating his own Legendary Hero, his strength somewhat returning to him. "You know...I always found it weird that they were somehow able to make a sandwhich into a semi-perfect sword shape. Weird, but impressive." Pause. "...This coming from the kid who can spam time-travel."

"Now that you mention it...all three of us can do it, and have done it." Asriel noted curiously. "Of course there we're different circumstances for all three of us, it ultimately comes down to all of us being able to LOAD, SAVE, AND RESET. All because each of us either died a lot or just wasn't completely satisfied with the ending. But...now we've broken the loop. We've managed to work outside the rules in order to find a better outcome. We've done things much earlier and managed to tighten and secure the bonds between our friends and family. And...we were able to SAVE much more than we've ever lost..."

Chara nodded softly, staring at the golden flowers they were sitting upon. These flowers...the very flowers he used to take his own life many years before...and due to the time shenanigans, that time was significantly extended. Though, he couldn't help but look back. After everything that's happened, everything he's done, and how much suffering he's caused for everyone in the Underground, _especially_ Asriel and Frisk...it was just hard to believe that they still spared him and managed to somehow save him. But still...it couldn't possibly be so easy with the others. Especially Sans.

Oh how much he feared Sans. Even when he eventually had a major it of the skeleton's character figured out, he'd do something that throws Chara's confidence out the window, and replaced with cold-blooded fear. Because Sans has always been watching him. How he hated him because he knew he was taking advanateg of Frisk, and never directly killed them outright in hopes that Frisk would break free. When those hopes were dashed, he had no choice but to be the last stand. And what a last stand he provided. Even with all of his patterns memorized, Sans has always given him a 'bad time'. It was inevitable for him to suffer _somewhat_ for his transgressions. Which only made him dread to see the skeleton again and find that he wasn't erased yet.

This puts much fear into his being. Sure, he has beaten Sans before, plenty of times. But Sans still holds the majority of wins, even if they're temporary. Chara grew stronger, but so has Sans, due to Asriel drastically powering up their souls. Chara dreaded the possibility of going up against a super-magically powered Sans. If so, bad time is going to be _such_ an understatement on the time he'll have.

Asriel seems to have noticed how Chara was feeling. He held his hand out, and a flowing star appeared right in front of him. The belief that he and Asriel would be able to vouch for Chara and prevent Sans from doing something too unnecessarily drastic, and they would be able to have a rather joyful reunion with their parents...

It fills them with **DETERMINATION**.

Chara blinked in shock. "Asriel...you can SAVE?"

"Just one of the many powers I've been getting over the course of this adventure, ever since I've accepted Geno Frisk's soul, and the soul accept me as it's new host. And then there's the souls of the six children all lending us their power, lending us their **DETERMINATION**." Asriel smiled softly. "It was enough for us to match yours...and even surpass it."

"Hmph, I should have guessed. You've made friends with deceased children, and in return, they helped you both out. Such a cliché."

"Just because it's cliché, doesn't make it entirely bad. Just...very familiar."

"Still doesn't change the fact that it's been done so many times in anime and other stuff."

"It also doesn't change the fact that it helped us save you." Chara doesn't retort to that negatively, not anymore. He just nods in affirmation, accepting the truth the way it was. After that, Asriel manages to finish his Legendary Hero, licking the crumbs off of his muzzle. "Hey Frisk, is there any more in your Dimensional Boxes?" Frisk shook his head, saying that all that was left was Cinnamon Bunnies. "That'll do just fine!"

Chara scoffed as Frisk pulled a Cinnamon Bunny from the Dimensional Box and handed it to Asriel. "Hmph. At least it isn't Snail Pie."

"Even after how much time that's technically passed for you and me, you _still_ won't let that go?" Asriel giggled playfully, nibbling on his treat.

"Snail Pie looked disgusting before everything went to hell. It'll still look disgusting now." Frisk tells Chara that the Snail Pie really isn't as bad as he thinks it is. He only scoffed again. "I'm not taking culinary advice from someone that eats sweets made of spiders." Frisk says that the Spider Donut isn't as bad as it looks, either. Chara became completely deadpan at this point, almost on Frisk's default neutral expression. "It's official. Both of you disgust me.

The three of them stuck themselves in silence for a very long time, and them they all began laughing. Not pained, sarcastic laughs. Not sadistic, condescending laughs. Not nihilistic, hopeless laughs. No, it was just the laughter of three children, in which one of them has come to save everyone, another was _destined_ t save everyone, and another has been stopped from killing everyone once and for all. They knew it was only a letter of time before their peace would be broken, so they just enjoyed it while it lasted.

Asriel finished his Cinnamon Bunny and fell back into the flowers, his tummy now satisfied. This was proven by the audible and adorable burp that managed to escape his muzzle. He blushed heavily and covered his mouth. "Excuse me..."

"Its a good thing you've practiced your manners." Chara chuckled. It went into silence as he and Frisk also fell back into the flowers, quietly. They stared, bathed by the golden light of the room, as a thought began swarming through his head. "Asriel...you and Frisk are...really weird."

"To be fair, I don't think there's a _true_ concept of the textbook definition of normal, considering what we've been through. That, and how everyone is in general."

Chara rolls his eyes at Asriel's technical humor. "You know what I mean. Even after all I've done, even after the hell I've you two through, as well as everyone else in the Underground, you still find the strength to power through all of that and forgive me. Even save me. Why would you do it?"

Asriel turned his head towards him, a soft smile gracing his muzzle. "We were all in agonizing pain in different ways, Chara. The only way we could end that pain is to help each other surpass our limits. Frisk helped me find the courage and heart to stand up to you in order to gain a better ending, a better future for all of us. I helped Frisk by protecting him as best I can from all the dangers that could possibly harm him, ever since I've gotten my new power. And you, Chara...we wanted to help you by ridding you of your hatred that has been building up for so long. And you helped us, inadvertently, by helping us realize that we can't always depend on peaceful ways to solve our problems."

Frisk notes that the reality is that the world was not a perfect place. Sometimes the peaceful way out, while he always will prefer that route, was not always possible. Sometimes in order to reach your goal and protect your loved ones, conflicts would have to start. Like what just happened. Asriel and Frisk were given no other choice but to fight Chara, because talking him down was simply not going to work. However, reminding him of how happy he was in his previous life definitely helped a bunch. Frisk sees that Chara has only been exposed to the darker, more sinister sides of humanity. Since he was and still is a child, he soaked in that experience and made it his reality, never knowing what good humans were like because he never took a chance with them again. He believed all humans were evil and despicable, and since he was one, he felt that he should live the part. And Frisk is the human who proved Chara wrong.

Chara turned his head towards Frisk. A calm, yet pleading look in his eyes. "I just...thought that I could erase the evil humans...so that they couldn't hurt anyone again. Hmph. The irony. The hypocrisy of my actions and words...and what they've turned me into." He scoffed bitterly, the jabbing words obviously aimed towards himself. "But why, Frisk? Why are you so **DETERMINED** to be a good person? Why do you always show kindness towards bad people instead of returning their hostility? What drives you...to be who you are? Is it necessity? Do you feel like you HAVE to be nice to everyone? You always feel like given people second chances. Asriel's felt the same way, and you managed to remind him of it."

"Don't kill, and don't be killed." Asriel nodded.

"I just don't understand, though. _Why?_ Why do you both always feel the need to be good, even if the entire world chooses to do the opposite? How could you possibly find the will to continue to be good people despite how broken the world is?"

Frisk smiled kindly. "The world has always been a broken place, Chara. That's why it needs good people. I stay **DETERMINED** to do the right thing, because not many people are willing to do the same. The world is not always a kind place, so showing kindness manages to change much more because it's so hard to do sometimes. My quest in the Underground is a very clear example of this. I've suffered greatly because I always chose kindness over violence. In the end, the hardship of choosing kindness has proven to be more than worth it." Frisk looked up towards the ceiling, taking a deep breath.

Chara paused, taking in Frisk's words quietly. Frisk is clearly a very optimistic and kind person, and is childish enough to have fun like most children do his age. Yet at the same time, he's displayed a sense of wisdom, by not being too naive to think that kindness is an easy thing to show, much less maintain. He's also silently admitting that he also has his own flaws. The Pacifist way, while admirable and mostly preferred, isn't always the best solution...that's why Asriel volunteered to do the fighting, and Frisk was mostly support and defense. He made it clear that settling things nicely was not always going to succeed no matter how deeply one prefers it, which is why he was willing to use violence if it meant protecting those close to him.

Frisk may be one of of those very few children who show immense amounts of maturity in specific situations, without losing too much of his childlike tendencies. Asriel is proving to be one of those children as well, being he's still a tad bit more childish than Frisk, despite being older(not counting how long he's been dead). Nevertheless, with these two leading the way, the future between Humans and Monsters is proving to be a bright one, however difficult the path may be.

Chara smiled. "I gave up a long time ago...that's why I lost today. You two however...your **DETERMINATION** has surpassed mine because of how much you want to do good and not giving up...overshadowed my **DETERMINATION** to be the exact opposite. Tch...you two are idiots."

"But we're _your_ idiots now." Asriel smiled goofily, as well as Frisk nodding in approval. Chara casually rolled his eyes.

They hear footsteps from the Judgement Hall. Boots...slippers...bare feet...loud footsteps from one of them...Chara sighed, their private time was now over. He stepped up and gazed at the entrance calmly, which betrayed the feeling of his soul, which was filled with great anxiousness and dread at the possible outcome of their confrontation. Asriel and Frisk sensed this effortlessly, and they held one of his hands in response, providing their warmth and reassurance from their souls to his. Only then did he manage to calm down a little.

Whatever the result of this may be, they'll face it together.

The first one to enter, the first one to gaze at the three of them with eyes full of concern...was Toriel.

 _Of course._

Toriel had been perfectly silent when she gazed at them, quietly scanning them far m her distance. Their clothes were still torn a little, though the food that Frisk stowed away just in case was more than enough to completely heal them up. Again, aside from slight clothing damage, they were perfectly fine. Asriel and Frisk were safe, and alive. But what she needed to know was Chara's condition. Her eyes glowed a brighter red than usual as she carefully senses out Chara's soul. It was a crimson red, more of a blood-like red than Frisk's. And more importantly...all of the malice she sensed from him before...it was all gone. Which can only mean...

Toriel let out a deep sigh, as her face took a _much_ happier turn, complete with a smile and tears of relief escaping her eyes. "Thank the heavens...!" Her maternal instincts refusing to be denied any longer, she rushed towards the three children and ensared them in one of the most motherly glomps one has ever seen, crashing into the ground with them, without harming them of course. She embraced the three of them in her loving and protective arms. Then she sits up, setting the three of them on her lap and began smothering their heads in a flurry of motherly kisses. Asriel and Frisk began giggling loudly at the immense affection shown by their relieved mother, while Chara was more shocked than anything.

He could feel her enhanced Boss Monster soul, and how it was interacting with his own soul. There was no hate, no resentment, no fear, and no hostility of any kind. If there was any negative emotion swirling in her soul, it was towards herself for being unable to prevent Chara from beciming who he became when he was previously alive. Just...complete love and forgiveness. Two things he feels like he _really_ didn't deserve. But like Asriel and Frisk, she's giving it to him without any hesitation.

"My children! *smooch* My dear *smooch* _dear_ children!*smooch*" She says in-between kisses, wiping away her tears, then returning to her kisses. "I'm so ungodly happy that all three of you are alive! I thought I was going to lose any of you, or _all_ of you!" She said, placing a rather prolonged kiss on Asriel and Chara's heads. "My soul wouldn't be able to hear losing you both a second time...thank you...thank you for not disappearing again!"

"Mama~It's okay! We're fine!" Asriel giggled lightly, squirming a bit in her grip. Frisk smiled contently at the smothering. Toriel was a total smother mother, that much he figured out. But she's learned to ease up...even if it's a little bit. Progress is progress.

"Mother...why?" Chara said quietly, gazing into Toriel's eyes.

"I love you, Chara. I don't need many other reasons to forgive you." Toriel said quietly, placing a gentle kiss on Chara's cheek. He seemed surprised. Then he remembered that the first thing he sensed from Toriel when he first saw her again was sadness and regret, both involving him yet not aimed at him. She's blaming herself for not taking better care of Asriel and Chara.

As this goes on, Asgore stepped inside next. He sees the seen before him, mostly taking in the fact that all three of the children were alive and mostly unharmed. "Bless our souls...they're alive. _All_ of them."

Toriel smiled kindly at Asgore. Asriel was excited to see his father, holding his paws out. "Dad! We did it!"

"I can see that, Asriel!" Asgore smiled as Toriel handed the boy to him, and he hugged the small goat and nuzzles his snout with his own. He was also very affectionate at the relief of his sons alive, planting a kiss on Asriel's forehead, while Toriel continues to cuddle Frisk. Asgore then gazes towards Chara, his soft smile never leaving. He gently places Asriel down, gets on one knee, and holds his arms out. "Chara...come to me, my child."

Chara seemed hesitant, but that didn't stop his body from obeying the request, making his way towards his fluffy giant father, who is also the King of Monsters. When he got close enough, Asgore snatched him up into a hug, being as gentle and loving as he could possibly be. With confusion gracing his eyes once again, he gazed into his father's eyes. "Even...even after all I've done...after all I've..."

"Hush, my child." Asgore softly silenced him, petting his hair and kissing his forehead. "Your hatred of humanity was powerful. It grew to be so powerful that it extended to everything and everyone. We should have done better at taking care of you. That way we might have even been able to quell that tiny flare of hatred before it became a raging inferno. Failing has cost us all deeply, in more ways than one." He gently leaned closer to Chara's face, nuzzling his rosy cheek. "Frisk...has defied fate. All of us have, in order to achieve a better future. As a reward for our efforts, we have Asriel back, and we have you back. And we shall NOT ruin this second chance." Asgore smiled softly, still softly petting Chara's hair, his own eyes softening a bit. "We'll take better care of you. I swear it."

Chara was absolutely dumbfounded. When his mind, heart, and soul weren't clouded by hatred and vengeance...the words filled with warmth, love, and comfort reached him _much_ more easily. He could feel his soul brighten at the promise, even as his own face currently stays blank. He just didn't understand them as well as he probably should have. None of them hated him, even when they have every right to be. Of course, Alphys, Undyne, Sans, and Flowey might be a bit more against this, especially the latter two. Papyrus...will probably gloat that he was right. But the Dreemurrs, and Frisk...he was sensing none of the negative emotions he probably should be feeling. Only love, compassion, and forgiveness from all three of them. He really didn't deserve it...he shouldn't deserve it. But they're giving those things to them anyway...and it's all completely genuine. Why...?

 _none of the dreemurrs can bring even a single microscopic piece of their being to hate you. they just love you too damn much. your entire existence is beginning to bring them agony because of how much they still love you. they'd rather blame everything that's happened on themselves than to actually hate you._

He heard the statement that a thoroughly pissed off Sans told him during their battle. He initially didn't care about any of that. He was blinded by hatred, so none of it really reached him. But now he could hear the words with both his mind and soul, actually feel them.

Regret. Intense amounts of regret filled his soul.

 _ **you took their love and hospitality and basically threw it back in their faces, despite how much they persistently continue to try and give it back to you.**_

The more he thought about these words, the more he hated himself for everything that's happened. He was...ruthlessly ungrateful. He really did have no one else to blame but himself. They had tried to reach out to him, tried to nurture him, REALLY loved him, and he felt all of it...but it never fully reached him to the extent of moving on. He was filled with too much hate, and was too busy feeling sorry for himself for his own suffering, never taking into account for how badly his actions affected everyone around him. Well...now he did. And it felt _agonizing_. The six deceased children, even though they're temporarily barred from the afterlife, were willingly giving Asriel and Frisk the powers they needed to ensure that both Monsters and Humans would have a brighter future...and it made him feel terrible, because his perception of humans was not entirely accurate. And despite all of his actions, the Dreemurrs were readily forgiving him without a nanosecond of hesitation...this succeeded in making him feel **worse**.

The Fallen Child is a suitable name for him after all, in both the literal and spiritual sense. He's fallen so far into the dark...yet Frisk and Asriel _still_ insisted on saving him and pulling him back into the light, even when he knew that almost everyone else who knew of his existence saw him as that one hopeless case, the only one Frisk couldn't truly save. He and Asriel worked together to prove them wrong.

To add onto it, he was mostly wrong about _**EVERYTHING**_.

Chara finally allowed himself to return the embrace that Asgore was giving him, nestling into the crook of his neck fur that wasn't covered by his armor. Asgore smiled widely at this, as well as Toriel and Asriel. They, along with Frisk, were able to grasp the moment, as happy as they could be, fully enjoying the moment.

The Dreemurrs were finally truly whole again.

Then the others came in. Undyne, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys...as well as Geno Alphys and Flowey. The latter, however, was utterly flabbergasted at seeing Chara living and breathing still. Then he was enraged. **" _WHY THE HELL IS HE STILL-_** MMPH!" Undyne was quick to stomp on the back of his head, her boot ruthlessly planting(heh) his face into the ground.

"Shut it, weed! This is a beautiful moment!" Undyne gritted her teeth.

"UNDYNE! DON'T STEP ON MY FLOWER FRIEND! HE'S JUST CRANKY!" Papyrus begged, but Undyne was having none of it.

Geno Alphys smiled, undeterred by Chara's presence. "I knew that Asriel and Frisk would find another way to deal with Chara without killing him. I didn't know _how_ they would deal with the situation. I just trusted that they would do it. It was a **REALLY** risky move...but you know what they say..."

Frisk smiled. "You can't spell 'Frisk' without 'risk'." Instant high-five from Asriel, instant giggles from Toriel. A stifled chuckle from Sans. Annoyed grimace from Papyrus. VERY annoyed grimace. Undyne just rolled her covered eye. Flowey was still saying nothing but muffled noise because Undyne's boot still pinning him down.

"Besides, to get this far, we broke a LOT of rules that shouldn't have been able to be broken. Buuuut...I guess we were too **DETERMINED**." Geno Alphys shrugged casually. "So...that's it then? Did you all work things out?"

Chara looked towards Geno Alphus shyly, and she saw just how successful Asriel and Frisk were. His eyes were not glowing red anymore, just a normal red. They were no longer filled with hatred, rage, and bloodlust, but now anxiousness, shame, and loads of regret. It was enough for her to realize that Asriel and Frisk really were successful in their conflict. Chara, while still having his magic left...he was no longer much of a threat. It reminded her that he was still a child. A child with lots, lots, and _lots_ of issues...but still a child.

Chara looked away. He didn't even think about making eye contact with any of them, especially Sans. He just felt much safer in the arms of his foster father. "...Yes."

"Ah. Very Good." Geno Alphys nodded softly. "Forgiveness is not an easily feat to accomplish. So being forgiven by the kindest monsters in the Underground, the Royal Dreemurrs, without a second thought...it spells wonders, because you've done much more wrong to them than anyone else." She shrugged. "They're also the only reasons why Sans hasn't atomized you on sight."

 **"if it were up to me, you'd be done, kiddo."** Sans said darkly, eyes hollowed. Then he shrugged. "but it turns out, I'd ain't up to me, so that's that." He winked his right eye, though his left glowed cyan. **"don't think you're completely off the hook. you've done some stuff that can never be forgotten. i've got my eye sockets on you."**

"I don't expect any less from you, Sans. I don't deserve forgiveness, everything I've done is inexcuseable. And yet..."

"Forgive, But Don't Forget, Sans. We know." Asriel nodded. "Frisk and I forgave and saved Chara. However...we don't forget what he's done. In fact, we're going to be sure that we never forget at all." He narrowed his eyes. "Which is why Frisk and I are going to do something drastic, to ensure that something like this can surely, truly, **_NEVER_** happen again."

"how do ya plan on doin' that, asriel?"

"Something Frisk and I have been dying to do for a long time...we just needed the right time, and the right circumstances." Asriel turned towards Frisk. "Frisk...it's time."

Frisk nodded readily, as he gestured for everyone to meet at the Barrier. Confused but compliant, everyone followed Frisk and Asriel.

 **(The Barrier)**

The whole group gathered at the Barrier, just like Asriel and Frisk asked them too. Though they were still wondering what could they possibly be thinking about doing. They just asked for them to come with them without much of an explanation. Chara was anxious about what they could possibly be up to. Though they could see that they were incredibly serious about their intentions, because even Frisk adopted a more focused expression while still being mostly neutral.

Sans tilted his head. "ya gathered us all at the barrier. what are you two up to?"

Asriel and Frisk both looked towards one another, and nodded. Frisk held his hand out, a few feet into the air. After a few glitching noises and a few brief shifts of reality, an option appeared over their heads. The very sight of it filled Sans with a type of dress that's so immense that it felt like he would collapse just from looking at it. He almost did. Those two dreaded words...every once in a while, when his memory manages to pick up the pieces, he'd remember these words, and he hated them with all of his being.

 **True Reset**

"We've pretty much done all we can in this timeline. Everyone's decently happy, we saved Chara...now the only things we have to deal with are the Barrier...and this." Asriel stated, not taking his eyes off of the game-like font above him. "This is what Chara used to manipulate Frisk. A Reset rewrites all of the progress one makes and starts from the beginning, with tidbits of memory managing to remain for some of us. It's why many of us are able to remember memories of other timelines, always giving us the feeling that we've lived some specific experience before."

"But a True Reset...it does what it entails. It completely rewrites everything we've ever done and rewrites everyone's memories...think of it like completely starting from scratch." Geno Alphys explained. "Everything we've ever done, everything we've achieved, all of our memories...then it's all just gone in the blink of an eye, and no one can remember it. Not one single detail. It all vanishes and no one will notice. No one will completely remember...except Asriel and Chara. Flowey too, now that he and Asriel are two different beings. They're a special case. Not even Frisk or Sans can remember much after a True Reset."

Undyne slightly glared at the two digital-like words floating above them. "So...this button thing is like a serious danger to us, huh?"

"VERY dangerous." Sans glared. "at least with a normal RESET we can somewhat pick up where we left off and we'll do better the next time. hell, things might even be a bit easier to manage, if we act accordingly. but that...those words there? it's been successful at breaking my spirit. i've forgotten many things that can never be remembered, due to that stupid button. of course...i'm still a bit more peeved with the maniac that kept _pressing it_." Chara sunk a bit more into Asgore's arms at Sans' venomous voice. "so, kiddos. what do you plan to do now?"

Asriel sighed deeply, as Frisk brought the button down to the two of them. "The True Resets have done a lot more harm than good...but it ultimately paid off in the end. We saved the monsters, Frisk saved me, we saved Chara, and now monsters are to begin integrating with humankind, in a much more gentle manner than all the other times. If it ever goes into a deeply, _deeply_ terrible situation...then Frisk will use a RESET as an absolute last resort. Then we can try again at a designated SAVE point, with hopefully better results. But one things for sure...we can't keep going back to the point of not remembering anything. We need to start learning from our past mistakes, not repeatedly going back to them. From this point on...we need to start _truly_ moving forward."

Flowey seemed to be catching onto what Asriel was implying, and scoffed...more in anticipation than animosity. "You're _bluffing_. Don't tell me you're actually...there's NO WAY that's gonna work!"

"Let's find out." Asriel said while looking towards the ground, his eyes being overshadowed slightly. He held his paw to the side, as a Chaos Saber slowly materializes in his paw. Sans held up his bony hands.

"woah woah, what are ya doin', kid?"

"What I need to do." He raised his paw up high, bringing the blade with him. "We don't need this button anymore...so it's time for it to go." He swung the Chaos Saber down and sliced the button down the middle. At first, nothing happened for a couple seconds, seemingly giving the impression that the idea failed. Then...

...Crack... _ **Shatter**_...

There was only one true, surefire way to find out just how significant this event, this moment was. If one REALLY wanted to know just how significant Asriel and Frisk's actions were. All you had to do was look at a certain short skeleton.

That's right. When experiencing agonizing physical, mental, and emotional pain, Sans has never totally lets up his eternal smile. Even when he was killed, his smile faltered, but it never dropped. This is how you tell when an event REALLY does show how dramatically things have changed with that action.

It was only for a very slow yet still noticeable ten seconds...but Sans the Skeleton... _ **stopped smiling completely**_. The True Reset button, which has played a major role in making a rather permanent scramble in his memories...destroyed, just like that. He was never able to deal with them. Fractures in his memories from normal Resets, he could handle well enough by piecing them together. A True Reset leaves entire irreparable giant gaps. That filled him with hopelessness and despair. Now...it was gone. And Asriel has clearly made sure that it can never be used again...by getting rid of it altogether.

Sans sighed deeply as he placed a bony hand over his skull. A deep chuckle escaped from him, though it was more from relieved disbelief than something being funny. "...heh...hehehe...hehehehehe... _wow_. hooooboy. i can't...i just...really. wow. now...i'm usually a pretty witty guy. but right now...i really can't find any words to describe this feeling. this innese weight off my chest and mind has been lifted. and...wow..."

"Relief, joy, hope? Those are three pretty good words to describe the feeling." Geno Alphys smiled.

Undyne stared at Geno Alphys, concern clear on her face. "So...what's going on with you? You're mission is, uh...kinda complete. And yet, you can't go back to your own timeline...because it's not there anymore. What are you gonna do?"

"Basically? I'm just gonna settle in this timeline. There's nowhere else I can go, so I might as well be happy right where I am. The Undyne of my time would have wanted me to keep on living. I was feeling a bit suicidal on this mission...but now that it's complete...I think I deserve a break."

"I get the f-feeling we ALL do..." Alphys smiled at her counterpart. "S-So...the only thing left to do is to b-break the Barrier. But how do we-"

"Leave that to us." Asriel smiled softly as he walked up to the Barrier, with Frisk alongside him. Asriel placed his paw over his rainbow colored soul. Chara's eyes slowly rose in understanding.

"The power equal to seven human souls are needed in order to break the Barrier. Your rainbow soul is equivalent to seven human souls, because they all willingly shared their power with you in some way or another, with Geno Frisk's soul being in the center...you can single-handedly break the Barrier!"

"It's a complicated concept, but not one I'm willing to put down. We've been breaking a _lot_ of rules that have been holding us back, and it's made our progress better. Lets not question it too much."

"I can totally live with that." Geno Alphys shrugged.

Asriel nodded, then he turned towards the Barrier once more. "All of our struggles...all of our sacrifices...all of our newly formed bonds...they've all been leading up to this. The Human Souls that make up my new, powerful soul. Verena. Justin. Ace. Lizzie. Richard. Lisa. and Geno Frisk. Despite what happened, they still want the same thing...for monsters and humans to finally get along. Their wills are aligned with my own...including Geno Frisk's. With their power...with their **DETERMINATION** alongside my own...it's time to take this Barrier down...for the _final_ time."

 **(Final Power)**

Asriel closed his eyes slowly, the symbol on his Delta Rune robes glowing. His floppy ears floating upwards along with his robes. His rainbow soul began flashing the colors of the human souls, which began appearing around him and slowly rotating. They all began glowing brightly alongside his soul, and the Barrier Reacted to all of the power.

There was a large crack, and the barrier broke in two, opening like sliding doors, and completely disappeared from view.

The Barrier...was finally down.

 **(Music Stop)**

Asriel stopped glowing, and he opened his eyes after the deed was done. He turned towards everyone with a small smile. "Well? Let's go. The Surface awaits us, and we surely have a lot of work to do." Frisk nodded readily, as they began moving for the exit to the Underground...

Though they suddenly stopped by the appearance of the six human souls...which manifested in spectral formations of the six children. Needless to say, Asriel and Frisk weren't too surprised to see them.

"So...you finally did it. You found a way to break the loop by breaking every rule that's held you both back...not bad." Ace smirked.

"And I can see that you were successful in your objective, given how we can no longer sense malice from Chara's soul." Lisa noted.

Toriel's eyed widened in realization, as she stepped forward before all of them. "You six...you were the Ines that gave Asriel and Frisk their new found power...weren't you?"

"We were getting a bit tired of seeing the same thing over and over again without any lasting change. So we decided to directly interfere. And boy, did it do wonders." Richard smiled. "It's a good thing we've made a lasting difference in timelines. Now at last...it's time for us to go. We've been kept from leaving for so long...it's finally time for us to head for the afterlife."

"You won't find our bodies in the coffins. They'll disappear when we do." Lizzie said quietly. "We just...wanted to take our time to say goodbye."

Verena leaped out and, despite being a spectral being, managed to hug Asriel, sobbing comically. "I'm gonna miss you, my sweet sweet cinnamon roll! Be a good boy and stay fluffy and cuddly for me, okay?!"

"Er...um...okay." Asriel smiled, blushing brightly.

Justin picked up his Empty Gun and aimed it at Chara. "Chara. You struck out once. Then you struck out the second time and it messed up everyone's lives. Luckily for you, Asriel and Frisk betted on the third time being the charm. Don't screw it up or you **WILL** be sorry. Much more thsn you are right now." He set it back in his holster.

"he has the right idea." Sans muttered.

"Anyhoo, its time for us to go. We've done our part, and it truly made a difference. But..." Lisa was the first one to walk up to Toriel and hug her by the leg. "Of course...we'll never forget the kindness you showed us. You've done your best to care for us however you could. We appreciated every moment of your love for us, as if we were your own. But now you have the chance to be with your true children. We wish you and the monsters a bright and happy future."

Soon enough, all of the deceased children gathered around Toriel and got her into a hug. "We love you."

Toriel blinked a couple times, then her muzzle curved into a smile as the tears once again began to fall. She then bent down and hugged all of them at once, as best as she could. "Dear children...I love you too. You shall not be forgotten." She squeezed all of them in her hug for a couple moments, before she releases them.

They then made their way towards Asgore, and they began hugging him as well. Before the confused King could respond, they spoke the words he didn't know that he _desperately_ needed to hear from them alone: "We forgive you." Asgore's eyes widened at the two words spoken from them. Then he smiled with immense relief and a bit of sadness, and gladly return their group hug, and he was big and fluffy enough to do so. He then released them, and they all stepped back.

"It's time for us to go. You're all going to do good. We believe in it." Verena smiled. All of them then began disappearing into bright flashes of light, disappearing into the skies, after each waving and saying their goodbyes. Lisa was the last one to do so.

"You guys are the future. Be sure to stay **DETERMINED**." She smiled. "Not that I'm concerned about that part. It's what you're best at." Asriel and Frisk smiled widely and warmly at her praise. Then at last, she disappeared along with the others.

After such a long period of suffering in many different ways...the six deceased children could finally make their way to the afterlife, in peace.

"...BROTHER...I THINK I MAY HAVE SOMETHING IN MY EYES."

"what would that be, bro?"

"TEARS!"

"You're not the only one..." Undyne muttered, wiping the tears away from her exposed eye. She was tough and all, but there's no way for her to keep a straight face after something like that.

That piece of business was taken care of. Now for the next stage...

* * *

 **Me: This chapter was around the length if the last one...but I decided to split it up a little. As a result, you'll find that the next one will be a lot shorter than expected.**

 **Asriel: That's okay! With the story almost over, it's about time we relax with the long chapters, St least for now.**

 **Asgore: Indeed. We'll have a lot on our hands. The main threat is gone, but our struggles are not yet over.**

 **Mettaton: Agreed, darlings! After all, our last couple of chapters will be setting the stage for our lighter and softer sequel story! Or should it be considered a spin-off of sorts?~**

 **Me: *jaw drops in horror* DUDE!**

 **Mettaton: Oh My! Spoilers! Do forgive me, Benny, I couldn't help myself. But it looks like the jig is up early~**

 **Chara: *Deadpan* You know full well that you did that on purpose.**

 **Me: *angry eyebrow twitch* Great. Just great. Wait until the next one, fellow readers. Now if you excuse me, I'm gonna go kick Mettaton's ass. *Chases him out of the room***

 **Asriel: *Blinks, them awkwardly holds arms out to you with a shy smile* Anyone want a hug?**

 **Frisk readily accepts hug. He also pulls the reluctant Chara into the hug. Frisk and Asriel were okay with this. Chara just felt awkward.**


	22. A Difficult Agreement

**Toriel: Dear me! Two chapters in one day!**

 **Me: Though admittedly, it's not good like the previous one...if you can even consider that last one good.**

 **Toriel: My child, you put yourself down far too much.**

 **Undyne: Yeah! Chin up!**

 **Me: I guess I can do that...though there's probably gonna be a couple people who dislike the decision I made here.**

 **Undyne: Only one way to find out.**

 **Sans: update this thing and see how it goes.**

 **Asriel: You'll be fine, Ben!**

 **Me: If you say so...**

 **Chara and Flowey: You're gonna crash and burn.**

 **Sans: *hollowed eyes* ...you two haters wanna have a bad time?**

 **Both: *Pale* Nope!**

 **Sans: heh. didn't think so.**

 **Chapter Start!**

 **(OC warning. Not a jerky one. This one is nice, friendly, and incredibly helpful. Promise.)**

* * *

 **(The Surface)**

The warmth of the sun...it was so new to them, it was a feeling they deeply missed and/or eagerly wanted for such a long time. Because they were now aware of the whole RESET subject, it could be a combination of both that managed to take a major part of their conscious. Well, it didn't really matter. They've reached their goal, reaching the surface.

It was a long, difficult, and cruel mission...but it was finally complete.

Frisk held his hand out, and a sparkling star appeared in front of him. Yet another SAVE point. But this one was special. Asriel nodded. "There. Now if there is ever the need for another RESET...we'll appear right here, instead of reappearing right back in the Underground with an unbroken Barrier." Geno Alphys smiled widely. She hasn't even thought about that.

"SANS! WHAT IS THAT GIANT YELLOW DOT IN THE DISTANCE?"

"that's the sun, bro." Sans smiled. "and it feels great."

"HELLO, MR. SUN! MY NAME IS PAPYRUS!"

"Ha...this warmth. It's not uncomfortable heat, like in Hotlands. Its just...the right amount of warmth. It feels really good." Undyne stretched her arms, taking in the sun's rays. "Doesn't this feel great, Alphys?"

"T-Totally!" She smiled warmly, taking in the view herself. "The city over there...it looks pretty big. Probably big enough to fit most of the Monsters of the Underground."

"We cannot just move into the city unannounced. We have to let the leader know we are coming." Asgore advised. "Although...we have a little bit of an issue...how will we manage to get an audience who shall listen to us?"

Frisk raised a hand, getting everyone's attention. Asriel turned towards Frisk, a look of understanding dawning on him. "You have somewhere to be...do you Frisk? And you want to bring Mom and Dad along." Frisk nodded, as did Asriel. "Right. Just give me a place, and we'll be there soon."

"What are you up to?" Chara questioned the both of them.

"Finding a bridge of insurance." Asriel smiled. "Geno Alphys, Flowey, you stay here with Chara. The rest of us have some checking in to do."

"Fine by me, little pal." Geno Alphys nodded.

"Whatever..." Flowey rolled his eyes carelessly.

"Alright Sans. Do your thing." Asriel said as soon as Frisk told them exactly where they needed to go. Sans nodded as they were bathed in a cyan flash of light, and they all vanished...

 **(Ebott City)**

The group appeared in what seemed like some sort of waiting room. It was mostly empty and quiet, except for the sounds of their own breathing. It was proven by the waiting desk having no one there, and it was dark because most of the lights were off. Frisk began moving forward without provocation, and the others followed after him in confusion. They then made their way through a door, down the hallway.

Then they saw the posters.

"Oh my goodness..." Toriel gasped softly.

These posters...they were posters of Frisk. They were all 'Missing Child' posters, and all of them have Frisk's picture in the middle. Statements such as 'Have You Seen This Child?' or 'Call If You've found this child', those kinds of statements. It was awfully clear that someone was deeply missing Frisk. Sans was certain about it, he's taken a couple seconds to scan the outside of the building and a couple blocks away, posters were on the walls.

Undyne stared around in a fit of awe, as well as Alphys, who was adjusting her glasses and observing the posters. "These posters are pretty worn down but still stable...it's clear that Frisk has been missing for a very long time."

"Not counting the RESETS...yes, it does seem that way." Asgore noted quietly as they approached double doors at the end of the hallway. "Frisk...is this what we think it is?" Frisk nodded quietly as he pushed the doors open with his small hands, assisted by Asriel.

They quietly walked into a dimly lit room, which was also filled with a few pictures of Frisk. They then saw a woman sitting behind a desk, in front of a medium sized window. She looked around middle-age with red hair a bit lighter than Undyne's, wearing a black blouse with golden buttons and a black skirt. On her desk lies a small, closed laptop, a coffee mug, a cub filled with pencils and pens, and flowers in a uniquely shaped pot. Flowey might take offense to this. On her desk, the name tag reads:

Mayor Alvina.

 _ah. that's what frisk is up to. gettin' this outta the way early._ Sans mentally noted, giving a quick glance towards Frisk, who walked uo to the desk and lightly tapped it while trying to reach. The woman was looking down in her lap, so she didn't see anything in front of her.

"I'm not in the mood for any crap...come back later." She mumbled quietly. Frisk pouted at her unmotivated response, running around the desk and pulling on the bottom of her skirt. She groaned a bit and turned towards the source of her irritation. "Alright who's-" She stopped immediately when she saw who was trying to get her attention. Frisk smiled softly at her stunned silence. "...Frisk? Is that...?" Notneven finishing her sentence, she kneeled before him and pulled him into a hug. "Oh my God...Frisk! You're okay!" She exclaimed while lightly tightening her hug, which Frisk gently returned.

Their relationship was obviously personal.

When she opened her eyes to the other occupants of the room, she blinked twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. There were monsters in her office. Two tall goats, one small goat, one tall skeleton and one short skeleton, a warrior fish, and a lizard in a lab coat. Silence filled the room for a couple moments...

"Howdy!" Asgore and Asriel chanted at the same time, breaking said silence with their jolly voices.

Said Mayor blinked once, then sighed. "You know...I _really_ wish I could say that this is now the weirdest day of my life...but then I'd be lying."

 _What kind of days does she have...?_ Alphys wondered.

She stood up after letting go of Frisk, and faced the monsters that appeared before her. "Monsters...are you the ones that brought Frisk here?" Asriel nodded slightly. She then smiled. "Well, I have to say thank you. I thought I'd never see him again. He's just been missing for such a long time. And yet no one was even looking for him. No one but me and a select few."

"Are you...are you Frisk's mother?" Toriel said a bit hesitantly.

Alvina shook her head. "No. But I was a close friend of her." The monsters stiffened at the 'was'. "Yeah. It's one of those stories. Just like Frisk, she was a kind, precious, friendly, and beautiful." She lightly rubbed Frisk's hair. "But...a couple years back, she had a heart attack, a real serious one...she didn't pull through." Toriel's eyes saddened at this, while Asriel slowly looked at Frisk, shocked. "His father...hmph. Can't really call him a father if he was never there. I had to place Frisk in the Ebott Orphanage. But...it didn't look like he was very happy there. I visited him with much of the free time I can possibly get from work, to keep him as happy as I could make him. Though a week and a half ago...when I was on a business trip, they kicked him out of the orphanage, behind my back!" She clenched her fists. "I fired the caretakers there and had them replaced with better, more caring ones. But I was too late. Frisk was gone and I had no idea where the heck to find him...and yet here he is, coming back with you lot in tow."

Sans raised up one of his eyesockets, this was a bit too easy. Then again, he can never really remember anything Post-Pacifist route. "heya. we're, uh...happy to receive this info, but...why tell us about it?"

She set back in her chair, gazing at the monsters with lowered eyes. "Frisk may still be s child...but the _one thing_ I can always count on from him besides his kindness is that he's a good judge of character. He came back with all of you...he likes you all for a reason. I don't know what he's been through when he fell down that mountain and ran into you all...but I can see that he cares for all of you." She smiled. "Anyone who's okay with Frisk is okay with me, human or monster. As long as I at least meet them first."

Alphys took a hesitant step forward. "S-So...y-you're heard of us?"

"Let's just say that I did a lot of studying when it came to human-monster relations. I was getting pretty sick of my parents bashing the origins of monsters when I was a kid. So I began reading. For that reason, and because I was a bit interested myself." She explained. "First off...I am well aware that we struck first out of severe paranoia and unjust decision making. Secondly, I kept hearing stories about six children in-between years going to that mountain and never returning, as legend dictates."

Asgore stepped forward next, seeing it was finally time for him to speak. "Those six children...they..." He then recounted all of the events connected to them and to themselves. How the human village that lied next to the Barrier had managed to cause them a great deal of personal suffering to the monsters, how his children had been scarred for life due to their actions(he wasn't completely wrong) and in a fit of agonized grief, he wished to declare war on humanity, and was willing to kill any humans that fell down in order to use their souls to break the Barrier...even the souls of children. Once he calmed down, Asgore felt deeply guilty by his actions...yet because he had already aroused hope in the otherwise hopeless Underground, he couldn't stop there. The misery he felt from the decisions he made were unbearable, bordering on suicidal. He's been through such a difficult time...the whole family did.

When he finished, he noticed that she was listening intently to his story, not interrupting once. He sighed. "We can understand that those actions have consequences...it is completely understood. But as the leader of this city, I beg of you...do not punish my people for my actions. Any and all punishments should be placed on me alone." Asgore took off his crown, handed it to a concerned Undyne, got on his knees with his paws on the ground, and lowered his head. "I take full responsibility for their deaths. Do with me what you will. Just...leave my people and family be...please."

Toriel gazed at Asgore for a moment, then towards the Mayor. She looked back and forth between the two, and thinking about what Asgore and herself have been through. Each of them have been suffering alone due to their separation on her behalf. Though because of this journey, she's learned that she wasn't much better than he was when it came to their morally questionable decisions. Undyne has made it PAINFULLY clear that Toriel doesn't have the right to maintain the high ground over Asgore, and she was right. She had been unbelievably selfish in more ways than one...now was her time to continue making up for it.

"Wait...Asgore is not the only one who's done wrong towards those children. I...I have felt sympathy towards those children. I took them in, nurtured for them, cared for them as best as I could...but I let it go too far. I didn't want them to leave me...I even threatened to harm them in order to ensure that they wouldn't leave me. That was equally despicable, because I tried to keep them against their will for my own selfish wishes. My sins are just as deep as Asgore's. I've failed as both a Queen and a Mother, because my conscious refused to accept my share of the blame." To Sans' surprise, Toriel did the exact same thing as Asgore, on her knees and lowering her head. "We both must be held accountable for how those children ended up. Our apologies may not be enough, but it is best we try anyway. We're... we're deeply sorry. As the King and Queen...we request that all blame and punishment be directed towards us...please leave everyone else be."

 _Mama...Papa..._ Asriel thought with concern for his parents sake. They were willingly placing everything on themselves, as King and Queen of monsters. They failed in a lot of aspects, and fate had given them the opportunity to rectify them as best as they could. They refused to repeat all of the hellish agony everyone has been through because they refused to accept the blame for the sake of their loved ones.

Sans was right. The Dreemurr's are pretty much one big pile of self-blame, regret, and shame. To think they were the friendliest monsters of them all, his brother not included though very much noted. They want to make it right...as best as they could. All of them.

Alvina stared at Asgore and Toriel bowing down towards her. Their humbleness and their will to accept responsibility for the deaths of six human children because they both made wrong decisions inspired by hate, really impressed her. Then again...the humans ignited that hate within them when they won a one-sided war that didn't HAVE to be a war. And they heartlessly kick the monsters while they were clearly already down, to top it all off. Man...both sides made some pretty stupid decisions. Yet these two are asking for forgiveness and judgement, while demanding nothing negative for humankind.

Frisk is a REALLY good judge of character. If only a bit strange at times. It's these two traits that most likely had the monsters come to such a decision. The King and Queen are actually ASKING for punishment. They knew that their actions, while understandable, are not justified. They don't believe they deserve a free pass. They don't want it. They want fair judgement from the leader of Ebott City. They've easily forgiven the humans, though they haven't forgiven themselves much at all.

These monsters...they weren't nearly as bad as what the human ancestors made them out to be. If anything, they temporarily turned the monsters into what they've feared most by striking first. And they simply retaliated from the unfairness of it all. Alvina pressed her fist against her forehesd for a couple moments, in deep thought. Then, she finally came to a decision.

"Stand up, please. There's no need for that." She said softly. Asgore and Toriel both stood up on her command, and she sighed. "Look...I can't just let you off the hook for killing those children...but the fact that you're completely willing to accept any form of punishment so long as the other monsters aren't hurt, AND the fact that humans started a war out of paranoia and without rational or fair thought...it's making me reconsider things."

"such as?" Sans asked.

"I'm suggesting a middle ground, hear me out. It's...gonna be a doozy." The monsters nodded. "Now. It's very clear that the humans owe the monsters for the hell we've put you through. But...we also want to make sure that the monsters don't go picking fights with humans every day for that exact reason. We need a setup that will lower hostile risks on both sides. I know it can't be immediately done...but giving time certainly helps."

"What do you recommend?" Toriel asked.

"I'm well aware now that you monsters aren't as bad as they all say. So to make up for having the humans wrong you so badly, I'm willing to have a monster colony set up for you in a comfortable, decent part of the city. Nice and quiet, and you'll still be able to interact nicely with us. But in exchange, for the murder of those six kids, therefore wronging us right back..." She paused as her face took a moment to become a bit more serious. "I'm not telling you to stay in the Underground...but I suggest you all not leave the premises of Mount Ebott...for at least six more years."

"WHAT?!" Undyne snarled angrily at the proposition. "We JUST got out of there and you want us to just crawl back and-"

"Undyne...I say we accept the offer." Alphys suddenly spoke up clearly. The response stunned all that were present. Even Frisk seemed a bit taken aback, demonstrated by his mouth taking an 'O' formation. "Humans and Monsters managed to provoke one another into fighting, and the latter lost. We can't let a conflict at that scale happen again."

"What...? Alphys?!"

"I understand what she's trying to say, Undyne. Even though the Barrier is broken and Frisk managed to convince Monsters that not all humans were bad, and vice versa...it still doesn't change the fact that the humans will still be a bit scared for understandable reasons. A war started years ago because fear of what we could have become, with the power of soul stealing that monsters have, and the magic we possess. And a couple monsters will still be angry for being imprisoned in the Underground by humans. And because of recent events, seven of us are even more powerful than ever. That's exactly why we have to stay Underground a little bit longer."

Undyne's face fell slightly at her words. "I..."

Alphys placed her paws behind her back, as her glasses shined white. "Undyne...you and Sans are two perfect examples. You may not be the strongest, but you both have proved to be the most ruthless, most dangerous monsters of our generation. Say either of you were to lose your composure, lose your control on your magic out of some intense emotion such as sadness or fury, even if it's only for a couple moments, or even doing something small like something related to a bank...do you think the humans will be able to stop either of you?" Undyne suddenly felt colder, now understanding what Alphys was getting at. Asgore wouldn't always be there to quell her rampages, and Papyrus couldn't always be there to calm a thoroughly pissed off Sans down. Everyone else's self-control was decent, and Alphys wasn't really a fighter to begin with. Sans was mostly too lazy to train, and Undyne tends to rampage if angered enough. Asriel will have this issue most of all, due to now being the most powerful monster of all. He had tremendous power due to the children's interference. He had yet to learn how to fully control it. Undyne slowly slumped her head, now downtrodden by the realization. Alphys walked up to Undyne, and took one of her hands in her scaly paws, and gently pets the top of it. "Six years, Undyne. We only need to hold out for six more years, so we can perfect our self-control. It's not like we're still trapped, now that the Barrier gone and all. After that time is up...then we can truly consider it a new start. Is that alright with you?"

Undyne just looked quietly at Alphys as she gently caressed her hand, fighting the deep, easily noticable blush on her blue cheeks. After a moment, trusting Alphys's judgement, she nodded. "Okay Al...I'm gonna trust you on this. You always know what you're talking about." Alphys smiled softly, which was returned with a toothy grin.

Asriel had been staring at the ground for a while. He had not taken this specific detail into account. It seems that things will be much more difficult than they've made it out to be. But this was understandable. The current monsters in the room were now the strongest monsters in history, with him topping them all. They manage to adjust to their now immense power, but they have yet to learn how to completely control it...including his own. Frisk walked over to him and hugged his arm while lightly nuzzling his fuzzy cheek. Asriel smiled, feeling a bit better.

Alphys was right. There were monsters in the Underground who still have quite a serious grudge against humans, and they might turn very hostile within moments, humans would be unable to stop them without fully suppressing them again. They hoped to avoid that path, because Frisk really did want to stop RESETting.

It was IMPERATIVE that the monsters learn self-control and learn to cooperate with humankind again. And on the off-chance that vengeful monsters or still hatred-filled humans might try something to spark a mass conflict...they'll need someone to bring them in before they do serious damage. But that's something to worry about later. Right now...

"Okay. Those are terms we can cooperate with." Asgore nodded softly. He would have to get the monsters to cooperate with this plan as well. They've waited so many years to break the Barrier and get back to the Surface. Even with Frisk's actions, a bit of hatred for humans still swirls within monsters. He'd have to take care that this matter be handled as best as he could before they actually move onto the Surface. "My people have been waiting to return to the Surface for years. If practicing our self-control over our magic will help reduce their fear of us...then six more years won't hurt much." Asgore smiled. "Perhaps in the process...we'll be able to help each other. More than ever before. We can go into more details about it, later."

"That'll do."

"six years for humans to warm up to the idea of monsters moving in and give us some of the city to stay in, as well as set up diplomatic relations...and six years for monsters to learn how to perfect their leashes on their magic. ah boy." Sans shook his head. _looks like things won't be so easy this time, but in a fair and understandable way. this timeline really has deviated into it's own path._

"You just let ME worry about setting up diplomatic relations and getting humans to warm up to you. You all just worry about cooling the monsters down and making sure they know how to keep their magic in check. After that, we can develop further." Alvina nodded. "In the meantime...I'll have to get some adoption papers ready for you two, Asgore and Toriel."

"Pardon?" Asgore and Toriel blinked.

"It's not hard to see that Frisk has found the family he's been looking for. Now I just have to help you make it official so that other people don't get any 'kidnapping' conclusions or stuff like that. I'll have some sent to you, you sign, I keep a copy. Then he's all yours."

Toriel's eyes widened as she rushed Alvina and pulled her into a tight hug. "You're kindness is most well-appreciated, Mayor Alvina! Our deepest gratitude!"

"Heh! No need for that." She said, patting Toriel's back. "Although there are obviously still going to be issues, all the humans that blindly hated the monsters and started the war are long gone. You'll find that this generation, while still a bit out of it, are much more understanding and kind. Trust me, you'll have a much easier life up here when it's time for you to come."

"Again, we thank you so much. This is a chance we shall not waste." Asgore nodded kindly. "Alright, we've bothered the mayor long enough. Time for us to go." Asgore picked up Asriel and placed him on top of his head. Toriel picked up Frisk and held him in her arms, as they all took their leave. Alvina waved goodbye at them, then slumped back in her chair, looking tired.

"I feel good about this. It's about time we do some actual good for both sides today. I'd better get ready...change is coming. And it's gonna be big." She sighed. "So much for having an easy week..."

The monsters and Frisk were making their way down the hallway, with Sans getting ready to warp them back to the mountain. "This has worked out better than we thought it would." Toriel nodded.

"Yeah. But the thing I wonder about...is what are we gonna do now?" Asriel asked. He was both nervous and excited. The future still has it's bumpy path, but it's a bright one nonetheless.

"well, we have a good start by befriending the mayor. that'll definitely help us in the long run." Sans nodded. "the barrier is also broken, and asriel made sure it stays that way. diplomatic relations will be set up with time, we'll have a fair share of the city for us, the portion that the humans aren't using. and all we have to do is last another six years to make sure we and the other monsters can control ourselves. all in all, this has turned out to be quite a good day. SO much of a good day, that it calls for a celebration."

"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY, SANS?" Papyrus asked.

Sans grinned. "lemme ask you all a question...do you wanna have a party time?"

* * *

 **Me: Yeah folks. I totally approve of that last line. Sue me.**

 **Sans: so...we'll be lookin' at a six-year time skip into the sequel.**

 **Me: That's right. And while it'll still have it's fair share if seriousness at a certain point...it's mostly going to be a collection of monsters living on the Surface as they and humankind learning to coexist again.**

 **Sans: so the struggle is not over...but the worst is behind us.**

 **Me: Exactly. Much less darkness. More bright and happy fun times. But not until the next one, which will be the last chapter of this story. Then I'll be on hiatus for Undertale until the sequel is out.**

 **Toriel: That sounds doable, my child.**

 **Asgore: Our future shall have it's struggles. But the results are well worth it. *pats Frisk's head* Frisk knows this more than anyone.**

 **Frisk nods.**

 **Me:I'll give more details about the sequel in the final chapter. But for now, stay DETERMINED for it fellow readers!**

 **Asriel: *Holds arms out to you* More hugs!**

 **Chara: Okay seriously, STOP THAT!**


	23. The DETERMINATION To Move Forward!

**Me: Here we are. This is it.**

 **Asriel: We've come so far...I can't believe this past of the journey is over.**

 **Frisk: *nods in agreement***

 **Chara: And with that in mind, Ben took it out of his way to cut loose a little bit. Especially with Toriel and Asgore.**

 **Me: It was very good...while at the same time very awkward...and hilarious...for me to write. Plus I kinda...ugh...**

 **Toriel: *Hugs* You described how you saw us as carefully as you can. *blush* E-Even with a couple...details...**

 **Asgore: I do believe that I'll enjoy this chapter, and I hope our readers do too.**

 **Me: Agreed. Here it is, fellow readers! It ain't the best in the world, but it's here! The finale!**

 **Chapter Start!**

* * *

Needless to say, when the monsters have caught word that the Barrier has been broken at last after so many years, they rejoice with everything that they have. Monster left and right were considering celebrating the joyous occasion that's reached them after so long. Of course, Asgore told them the circumstances of how this was going to work, as it was a requirement that they needed to wait a while, as in six years, before they could ever truly leave Mt. Ebott as a whole and actually move in and integrate with human society. Of course a minority of the monsters were highly against this idea, and were aggressively irritated that they were kept from leaving. Though they were highly outnumbered by the higher majority of monsters who were okay with waiting a bit longer before leaving the mountain completely. Six more years, now with actual sunlight they could bask in any time they wish so long as they don't leave the mountain, that was doable.

After all, six children are dead. Only fair to stay right where they are, or at the very least not leave the mountain, for six more years. Though it's only known by the top monsters( Asriel, Toriel, Asgore, Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, and Geno Alphys) that the deceased children do not hold a grudge anymore, and have forgiven them a long time ago. And after the Barrier was destroyed, they took it upon themselves to tell the main monsters this themselves. It was their little secret.

A little while after they'he returned to the Underground, Asgore has had quite a big audience gathered around New Home. With all that's happened, with all they've endured, he decided that the best thing they can do so as to not waste their chance, was to call off his war on humanity like he wanted to long ago. The hatred for humans stirred within them, and these six years will I've them plenty of time to simmer those feelings down. Hatred started all of their pain and suffering, so it was best that they end it before it makes anything worse. Asgore was careful not to go into too much detail about how they all did it, but he said that with the human child named Frisk, he was able to help them all in breaking the Barrier and granting them a chance of freedom.

And in yet another twist in his announcement, he revealed the joyful returns of both Toriel, Asriel, and Chara Dreemurr. The Queen had finally come out of hiding after so many years due to Frisk's insistence and interference, and she has made it known that she was reclaiming her title in order to help fix what has been damaged as best as she could. What shocked Chara was how much the monsters practically _roared_ with joyful cheers when they saw that he and Asriel were alive once again, even if they didn't understand. As far as he was concerned, they were completely oblivious to the many times that Chara has annihlated them, so seeing them cheer for he and Asriel's return to life was emotionally disorienting, and he felt the guilt naw at him again. Luckily, the warmth of Asriel and Frisk's arms around him managed to calm his nerves for the time being.

Proceeding onward, Asgore had declared once again that the only way for monsters to get along with humans is to let go of their animosity of them. He has admitted that he was the one mostly responsible for helping them building up that animosity, and deeply apologizes for it. Now they have plenth of time for them to reduce that animosity and adjust their mindset and emotional states to the possibly of getting along with humans, and it would lesd to a brighter future and eliminate any potential of significantly major conflicts. Asgore was NOT naive enough to think that there still won't be troubles, but he was confident enough that they would all be able to work through all of them together. In fact...Asgore's magical aura had gained a MASSIVE boost in positivity ever since the family had been truly reunited, and their individual struggles and suffering ultimately pays off in the long run. Now they would be able to help rebuild the Monster Kingdom in many more ways than one.

He's also made a more relaxed declaration after most of the serious stuff was out of the way. With the Barrier down and a brighter future with humankind now assured, he has readily approved that they all celebrate any way that they wish. He was in THAT much of a good mood. All of the monsters rejoiced once again at the announced promise of celebrating the newer, brighter future ahead of them. They assured them, they all planned on having a real good time, once again accepting that they needed to wait just a bit longer in order to move onto the Surface, giving the humans time to think about sharing the Surface with monsters again.

The Pacifist has already made it quite clear that the humans would get along with monsters just fine, but Frisk didn't want to take any chances, not anymore. He meant it when he declared he didn't want to RESET anymore, so he would have to make sure that he would never discover a reason for him to do so. On the plus side, Asriel destroying the 'True Reset' button seals the fact that if something serious DOES go wrong, enough for him to RESET, he wouldn't have to force everyone to forget everything that's happened. They would be able to reach a positive path even faster than before. But right now, again, they all wanted to focus on eliminating any threats that would require a RESET. Frisk knew that Sans was understanding that it was an absolute last resort and wouldn't hate him for it, but he still prefers to never do it again.

Everyone was happy. Though, there was still a couple of things that had to be addressed...starting with Dr. Alphys...

 **(Alphys's Lab)**

"Hm? What is this, Alphys?" Asgore said as he accepted a piece of paper given to her by the lizard. He was going casual for today, wearing his pink with yellow flowers shirt and jeans. Like Sans, he's strongly into the belief that mean can wear pink with pride. After giving it a couple looks, he lowered his eyes and nodded softly. "Ah, I see. Your resignation."

"T-That's right." Alphys stuttered slightly, twiddling her fingers. "M-My time as the Royal Scientist has done much more harm to the monsters, and t-to myself, than good. I did some things that I'm not at all proud of, and some of them just can't be forgotten. I've done terrible things, and it cost many of us dearly. Especially Asriel." She closed her eyes and quietly shook her head. "I'm sorry...but I can't be the Royal Scientist anymore. I'll still be glad to help with anything that might require my skillset...but I refuse to keep the position any longer."

Frisk seemed very surprised by the development, but Geno Alphys looked proud of her. In a Pacifist route, the truth about her experiments were revealed. Asgore took pity upon her, while Toriel seemed to do the same...then straight-up fires her. It was such a relief off of her shoulders that she didn't even care that she was jobless. Now...she was quitting on her own volition. Her job has been mentally and emotionally killing her, and in some Neutral Routes it actually succeeds in doing so. So the only way she could completely gain the ability to resolve a majority of her guilt and shame was to voluntarily give up the position that caused it. Alphys has truly grown over the course of this journey.

Asgore sighed deeply, before nodding with a gentle smile. "I see. I will not stop you. You've suffered long enough for just doing your job. Your resignation is accepted."

Alphys saddles up to Asgore and hugs him. He grinned and hugged her back gently. "Thank you, Asgore. Thanks so much for making this a bit easier for me."

"Its no problem at all." He nodded softly. "Now...I realize you have quite a lot to get out of the way. You might want to tend to that."

"O-Okay." She nodded while moving onward from their position, still feeling a bit shaky from actually gathering the courage to willingly quit her job. Though what she was about to do next was going to be even harder. She sighed while she opened the doors to her True Lab and stepped into the elevator. She had already let Lemon Bread and Reaper Bird return to their families on their own. The last two needed to be personally escorted.

Now it was time for the hardest part.

 **(Snowdin)**

Alphys quietly made her way to Snowdin, via River Person's boat. With her, were two specific creatures...Endogeny, and Snowdrake's Mother. Their families are deeply missing them, and she's been denying them their chance at seeing them again out of shame and fear of retaliation. But she has reduced that feeling by a couple magnitudes, and now she had to brave those fears and confront the ones she's wronged by keeping a secret all those years. She was going to steel her courage.

Although...being courageous and being fearless(like Undyne)are two very different things. And she's feeling a lot of fear right now, but she's pushing herself to continue because she knew she was doing the right thing. Nothing was going to stop her from telling them the truth, not even herself.

She felt the River Person stop, and she and the Amalgamates stepped off from the platform. Then they made their way to Snowdin Town in a few moments. She stopped at the very border of the town. She took a deep breath to keep steeling herself for what happns next.

 _I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. I can totally do this...Oh God I hope that I can do this. I'm not feeling too confident right now. I mean, what if-_

A hand suddenly sneaked it's way around her arm, and clasped around her own. She blinked and looked to her right, and right up towards Undyne. She squeezed the yellow paw she managed to grab hold of, and smiled. "I'm here for you. Nothing they can do or say will change anything about that."

Count on Undyne to truly be there when she's needed. Alphys clung tightly to her hand, steeled her nerves, and prepared to proceed. Too bad for her, Endogeny was much less hesitant than she was, and bounded off without either of the girls, much to their surprise. It's barks echoed throughout the town, managing to gain the attention of almost everyone currently outside. This includes the main targets of it's calls. Doggo, Dogamy, Dogressa, Lesser Dog, and Greater Dog.

Whatever their conversation was about was abruptly stopped by the arrival of the large mixed dog. Even without a face, they could all feel the immense happiness, cheerfulness and joy it radiated almost constantly, wagging it's tail while leaning down close to the ground. There was an awkward silence between all of them. And then...

"MOM!"

"COUSIN!"

"GRANDPA!"

"BARK!"

All off the dogs gathered around the larger mixed dog, and began hugging and cuddling it happily. Engogeny responded very positively from the attention, lightly foaming Happiness Froth...or whatever it was called.

"Wait...does this mean we all have to share family reunions?" Dogamy scratched his head curiously.

"More food for all of us!" Dogressa cheered. "Although we might possibly run out of room at Grillby's..."

"And since it's a major mixed of all of our relatives, it's always moving. I can see him without any problems." Doggo noted with a smile, popping another dog treat in his mouth. "We have a lot or catching up to do."

Alphys blinked at how easily and accepting they were of their new merged family member, and smiled softly. Though she knew that it wasn't over yet, she still needed to manage yet another one on the list. Snowdrake's Mother. She's easily the most pitiable of the Amalgamates, and out of all of them, she definitely needed to see her family again. And luckily, due to the actions of Frisk, it was made possible for a pretty significant and warming family reunion.

They made their way to the other side of Snowdin, where a specific duo was currently awaiting for Alphys and their missing family member to return. They turned around where she was approaching, and was surprised to see the Amalgamate thst was noticably Snowdrake's Mother. Snowdrake's Father blinked in surprise and shock alike his son. Though the difference being, Snowdrake reacted first.

"M...Mom...?" He said weekly at first. Then his face brightened significantly as he raised his wings and ran towards her. "MOM! IT'S REALLY YOU!"

"Sn...…ow...…y.….." His mother said slowly, coldly. Not in the emotional sense, she was just always shivering just a bit. But her heart was definitely feeling warmer. In no time at all, her son ran up and enveloped her in a big hug, wrapping her wings around her.

"Mom...I can't believe it. You're back...you're really back!" Snowdrake muttered, nuzzling into her affectionately, uncaring about her appearance. His mother was definitely different, but she was alive again. That's what truly matters to him.

"Sn...…no...…w...…" She said weakly, though her slightly melted beak managed to curve into the warmest smile she could muster. She was much weaker than before...but her heart remained just as strong regardless.

Snowdrake eventually released her, and began hopping around her happily. "Mom! Hey Mom! Do you want to know how much me and Dad missed you?"

"...o...k...how..much...?"

"I missed you _snow_ much! He...he he!"

"Ha...haha...go...ood...o...ne..."

"Yeah! I've been inspired to get even better by meeting a human who encouraged me and liked my jokes!" Snowdrake smiled, still hopping around her. "Now you'll get to see it for yourself, Mom! I'm gonna be the monster's greatest comedian ever!"

Snowdrake's Mother pulled a strained but still genuine smile. "I...am...s...o...pro...ud...of...y...ou..." She said this while very slowly patting his head with one of her wings. He eagerly nuzzles into it, another large smile gracing his beak.

Snowdrake's Father cleared his throat when the two of them were at a far enough distance. "Listen. I undahstand. Why it took Yah. So long to. Tell us all this." Alphus lowered her head slightly. "But. I have to thank yah. For at least. Being honest. With us." He smiled. "It really is. Good tah have. The family. Back togetah again." He nodded with a relaxed smile, then turned around to join his other two family members in their renunion.

Alphys let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She did it. She finally did it. It worked out even better than she thought it would, and she was going for the worst-case scenario. Undyne whistled softly.

"Monster's greatest comedian? AND his jokes are bad. Looks like Sans has some competition." She chuckled, as she wrapped a single arm around Alphys's waist, easily picking her up. "Let's go, Alphys! The others are waiting for us!"

"Y-Yeah...okay." Alphys blushed brightly as Undyne carried her away.

A lot of weight has been released from her soul. She feels like she's going to do just fine.

 **(MTT Resort)**

"looks like we really have to check into this place, huh?" Sans sighed. "welp, at least the grub is decent. nothing on grillby's though."

"Sans, be nice." Toriel scolded gently while carrying Asriel and Frisk in her arms, Chara walked alongside her, with Sans being in the back. "Mettaton is thanking us for succeeded in our endeavors by providing us excellent service in his hotel/restaurant/resort..." She blinked. "Come to think of it...he did go a bit overboard with this place, didn't he?"

"that's an understatement..." Sans muttered. "...fine, i'll play nice. but only because paps have been waiting to meet him personally, and i don't want to bring him down after such an important victory."

"I don't see how spending time with Mettaton counts as a reward, either." Chara rolled his eyes.

"heh. that's one of the very few things we can agree on.

"And the fact that his glamburgers aren't that good. I'd much rather have the regular ones."

"definitely."

Asriel smiled while looking over to Sans. "Remember when we were dancing with Mettaton, and the ratings were pretty much skyrocketing because of how awesome we were at keeping up with his dancing?"

"i managed to be much smoother than he was. very few can pull off the moonwalk in slippers, you know."

"Speaking of which, when are you gonna wear some actual shoes?" Chara tilted his head.

"pssh! shoes don't suit my personality. besides, you don't see tori, asgore, or asriel wearing shoes. or alphys, for that matter."

"Those cases don't match yours in any way possible!"

Frisk shrugged. "It might...in some way. I'm willing to take his word for it."

Chara paused for a moment to process what this could mean...and glared at him in warning. "I swear if you start walking around barefoot..." He paused again. "...on second thought, go for it. It might be hilarious."

"Chara!" Toriel scolded with a small glare.

"What?! He's been walking through the entire Underground a countless times all by himself! I'm confident that he can do it again barefoot. It just might take a little bit more pain tolerance, is all."

"Frisk has stressed himself enough for a while. We all did. It's time for us to relax." Asriel said. He then lowered himself a bit and nuzzled his head into Toriel's bosom. Frisk managed to do the same, the both of them now nuzzling comfortably to the warmth of her chest. She smiled at their attention and proceeded to hug them a bit closer.

Chara rolled his eyes. "You two are overly eager for Mother's affection. Asriel's case is at least properly justified. But I honestly expected better from you, Frisk."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with snuggling with Mom a lot.. And Mom could really use our snuggles." Frisk said.

"Snuggling is loving!~" Asriel declared. Then his face brightened. "Chara is feeling left out, Frisk! Let's fix that!"

"What? No!"

Asriel and Frisk both dropped from Toriel's embrace and hugged Chara on both sides, pinning his arms down. "Brotherly hugs!"

"Asriel!? Frisk?! Darn it, lemme go!" Chara demanded, trying to struggle free.

"Nope!" Asriel denied with a bright smile, nuzzling Chara's cheek, with Frisk nuzzling the other cheek. They were so close that their cheeks were lightly squishing against one another in such an adorable manner that Toriel couldn't help but squeal from the sight. She swiftly brought out her upgraded phone and took a picture of them. She lightly covered her muzzle after bringing it up.

"How lovely!"

Chara growled at his predicament, trying to defy the blush making his rosy cheeks even redder. "This sucks. You both suck." He then turned towards Sans. "You're laughing on the inside, aren't you? Enjoying my humiliation as well as my embarassment?"

"buddy, i can assure you, i don't know what you're talkin' about." Sans denied, though his widened grin was enough to give it away. "try to act out of _chara_ -cter, will ya?" Chara was not amused. Not even a little bit.

"HELLO THERE, METTATON SIR! IT'S AN HONOR TO FINALLY MEET YOU FACE TO FACE!" They could hear Papyrus call out to Mettaton, who was in back in box form because his EX form needed to recharge.

"DARLING. PLEASE, THE HONOR IS ALL MINE." Mettaton called out to him. "AFTER ALL, YOU WERE BENEFICIAL TO SAVING OUR WORLD." Asriel, Chara, and Frisk were quick to be shocked that Mettaton knew what had been going on. "DON'T BE SO SURPRISED. I HAVE MY OWN PERSONAL CAMERAS THAT NO ONE ELSE KNOWS ABOUT. I SAW MOSTLY EVERY DETAIL." He raised a finger. "BUT WHAT REALLY GAVE IT ALL AWAY WAS...'GENO ALPHYS' CORRECT? I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS NICE TO ALPHYS AS I SHOULD HAVE BEEN, BUT I STILL KNOW HER BETTER THAN MOST MONSTERS THAT AREN'T UNDYNE. I CAN TELL DIFFERENCES. BUT NOT TO WORRY, I'M A PRETTY GOOD SECRET KEEPER. NO ONE ELSE KNOWS THE SUPER SECRET DETAILS OF THESE EVENTS."

Frisk nodded softly, feeling reassured by Mettaton's words. He may have been an attention hog, but he knew the robot was sensible enough to not send out information that didn't need to be known to the locals. Asriel seemed grateful as well. Chara just shrugged. He wasn't as close to Mettaton as the others.

"BUT HERE'S A BIT OF GOOD NEWS FOR ME! I HAVE A NEW ASSISTANT! COME ON IN, BLOOKY!"

On cue, Napstablook suddenly faded into view, wearing his iconic 'Dapperblook' hat, as he greeted the group with the most shy smile anyone had ever seen. "Hello...I kinda saw the whole thing too...it was...pretty crazy...but I'd like to thank you for...saving the lot of us...and...and..." He lowered his head slightly. "Oh no...I don't know what else I can say in gratitude...sorry..."

"DON'T APOLOGIZE, BLOOKY DEAR! YOU DID A GOOD JOB!" Mettaton reassured him.

"The ghost. I should have known." Chara muttered. It seems that the ones that weren't in the main group were the ones who were least likely to know what was going on...yet they do anyway. Napstablook may be the ONE person who managed to stay in the loop without being notice in the slightest.

Had he actually put his mind to it, he'd make a pretty good spy.

"ANYHOW, AS THANKS FOR BEING SUCH HEROES IN SUCH A DRASTIC TIME, SERVICES ARE ON ME. WHICH FOR YOU, EVERYTHING IS FREE!"

"Oh dear! You don't have to go that far." Toriel said, rather surprised by his generosity.

"THINK NOTHING OF IT, YOUR HIGHNESS. EVERYONE IS IN SUCH A GOOD MOOD, WHY RUIN IT BY BEING PETTY? NO DARLINGS! TODAY IS S GOOD DAY, ITS TIME TO ENJOY IT!" He waved. "WELL, ME AND BLOOKY HAVE TO PREPARE SOMETHING PRETTY IMPORTANT AND SECRET. JUST LET US KNOW WHEN UNDYNE AND ALPHYS GET HERE."

"Yeah...it is pretty important..." Napstsblook's super shy smile broke out again. "Well...we better get ready...so I'll...guess I'll see you later...byyyyyyeee..." he said softly as he faded out of view, unable to be tracked.

"I'LL GO AS WELL. TOODLES!" Mettaton rolled out of the way...then rolled right back to Papyrus. "OH. I NEARLY FORGOT." His finger turned into a pen and he signed Papyrus's breastplate, signing onto his 'battle body'. His finger then turns back to normal again. "THAT IS ALL. TOODLES FOR REALS, DARLINGS!" He rolled away once again, leaving the amazed Papyrus behind.

"OH. MY. GOD. OHMYGOD!" Papyrus ran up to Sans while pointing at his own chest, hopping enthusiastically. "SANS! SANS! METTATON AUTOGRAPHED MY BATTLE BODY! SEE IT? DO YOU SEE IT, SANS?!"

"yeah bro. i see it."

"NYEH! DO YOU SEE HOW GREAT IT IS?!"

"i sure do. though mettaton still pales in greatness compared to you."

Papyrus paused. "...YOU ARE RIGHT, SANS! METTATON IS GREAT IN HID OWN SPECIAL WAY! JUST LIKE I'M GREAT IN MY OWN WAY!" Cue heroic pose, scarf dancing in the wind...which is caused by one of the employees placing a fan in front of him without his notice. "GREATNESS IS IN MY BONES, FOR I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS! NYEEEEEH HEH HEH!...HEH!"

Sans' grin got incredibly relaxed. Seeing his brother happy, alive and well despite what's happened, it really did good in soothing his soul. The day was indeed great, just like his little brother. For once, he could truly relax without having to worry about much. Except Chara, but he's placing trust in Asriel and Frisk to keep him in mind, just in case.

"Tori!" Said Queen blinked as Asgore entered through the doors with Undyne and Alphys by his sides. "We've made it!"

"FUHUHUHU! ON TIME!" Undyne grinned whidely with Alphys still tucked in her arm. "THEY SAID SERVICE WAS FREE! WHERE DO WE SIT?!"

"U-Undyne...?!" Alphys blushed. She's being carried around like a pig again. Affectionately, of course. But still a bit embarrassing. "O-Oh gosh..."

"Ah screw it!" Undyne dashed past the others with Alphys in tow, leaving them behind.

Asgore rubbed his neck a hit awkwardly. "There they go. Now that Alphys has resigned her position, she'll have much more time to spend with Undyne." He turned towards Asriel and Frisk catching Chara in a cuddle-trap, and smiled widely. "Aww...they're so cute."

"Sure. Let everyone see." Chara pouted, long-since given up on tryingnto escape without their say-so. Asriel and Frisk still nuzzled his cheeks for a couple more moments, before they turned to see Geno Alphys approaching them, with Starfaits in each paw, as well as one in her tail. She hands each to the three children, which finally prompted Asriel and Frisk to release Chara and accept the treat.

"Starfaits!" Asriel said. He and Frisk began taking gentle, cautious bites of the treat at first, and their eyes began to sparkle like stars. "It tastes like stars...the stars taste amazing!"

"You two are so lame." Chara rolled his eyes and took a bite of the treat himself...his own eyes began sparkling. "Okay...neither of you say a word."

"Glad to see everything is working out to our likings." Geno Alphys grinned. "Oh, by the way, you might want to steer clear of the Restaurant part of the area for the moment. Mettaton and I have planned something...worthwhile."

Sans's eye sockets rose slightly. "...what did you do?"

"Actually...it's more like what Mettaton is going to do...and I approved of." Geno Alphys smirked. "It's time that we've sealed the deal on some things."

"Whatever do you mean?" Toriel asked. Geno Alphys merely shrugged, pretending not to know what she's talking about, and walked towards the direction of the restaurant section of the resort, eyes twinkling mischievously behind her glasses. Everyone seemed a bit suspicious about this.

Undyne and Alphys made their way further down into the restaurant area of the resort. But right when they entered...a spotlight shined right in their faces, blinding them for a couple moments.

"OOOOOHHHH MYYYYY! IT LOOKS LIKE OUR CURRENT STARS ARE HERE!" Mettaton had briefly returned to his EX form, and was hanging from a chandelier that looked a lot like him. "Its finally time, ladies and gentlemen! The long-awaited moment is here! Undyne! Ex-Captain of the Royal Guard! And Alphys! Ex-Royal Scientist for King Asgore! With the Barrier broken and a truce and deal was made with the humans, and their positions now given up, there's nothing else to stop these two lovebirds from revealing their deepest feelings!"

"G-GAH?! M-M-Mettaton! W-W-What are you d-d-doing?!" Alphys sputtered anxiously, trying in vain to cover her blushing face. Undyne was also beginning to blush a little when she realized that the spotlight shining on them was a pink heart.

"W-WHAT THE HELL?!"

"To be honest, darlings...you two have been back and forth with this for such a long time, you actually managed to frustrate me a bit. It's obvious you both need assistance from the Monster's favorite robot and absolute brightest star! No need to thank me, of course!"

Alphys didn't feel like thanking Mettaton. Not audibly of course. She knew he was just trying to be a good friend, while simultaneously being...well...himself. She was too embarrassed by the many, many, _many_ eyes now trained on the two of them and awaiting the next events. Undyne was looking like she didn't know whether to comply to Mettaton's ruse or to just destroy him outright.

"S-Shut up you pile of junk! Who do you think you are?!" Undyne sputtered.

"I feel like I make a pretty amazing Cupid, thanks for asking."

"Grrr...Alphys, give me the word, and I'll throw him into the junk pile!" Undyne pounded her right fist into the left. Though she was left confused when Alphys didn't answer. "...Alphys?"

Alphys took a deep breath. "U-Undyne...with everything that's happened...with how m-much each of us have grown...a-and now we've gotten this far together..." She rubbed her shoulder, her blush intensifying. "O-Oh God...I-I don't know what I'm d-doing..."

"Alphys? Are you okay?" Undyne asked.

Alphys faltered a little, she was about to shy away. But then out of the corner of her eye, she saw her counterpart, Geno Alphys, carefully watching her. She was waiting patiently for whatever she might do next. Alphys thought back about how much she's developed, how much she's grown, how much more brave she's become...all because a another version of herself, who had lost everything, did everything in her power to make her happy. Besides saving the time lines from being erased once and for all, her happiness was her primary concern as well. She had said she lost her Undyne without letting her know how she felt...and it shall remain her biggest regret for the rest of her life, since she's no longer suicidal. But she has accepted that her Undyne would have wanted her to move on with her life, and she plans to do so. So what she has left to do...was see how her counterpart would fare.

She looked down at her paws, shaking slightly. A lot of had to do with the fact that she's hesitated to tell the truth. Because of this, she allowed her inner demons to worsen and build up, slowly killing her sense of self-worth, which was only held together by the company of her friends. Undyne and Mettaton especially. Her hesitation and her fears had taken control of her during her time as the Royal Scientist. She had just said that giving up the title would start a new chapter in her life. Now was the perfect time to begin that chapter.

She was NOT going to hesitate. Not for this!

"Gah! To hell with it!" Alphys shouted. She then turned to Undyne and grabbed her by the jacket.

"Hey, what are you do-MMPH?!"

The entire building went silent for a couple moments as it became blatantly clear that _Alphys_ was the one who made the first move. She brought Undyne down to her height and placed a kiss on her lips while shutting her eyes as tightly as she could as a massive blush erupted on her cheeks, while Undyne stood there wide-eyed with shock. She was clearly unprepared for the action. Toriel was VERY quick to cover Asriel, Frisk, and Chara's eyes. The last one was a bit annoyed with this.

 _Oh my God. I'm actually kissing her right now. **I** made the first move! Alright Alphys, no matter what happens, you have no regrets about this! You chose this action regardless of the results! Don't regret what you've done! This is what you wanted! This is- _

Her thoughts were instantly silenced when she felt Undyne gently place her arms around her and return the kiss properly, taking care to move her hair out of their faces. Needless to say that Alphys was very, VERY delighted to sense that her feelings were being fully returned, enough that her tail began wagging softly from side to side. She was thinking far too much. Right now, she was going to enjoy her greatest personal victory yet.

The room was then filled with cheers, shouts of encouragement, yells of congratulations, and a couple of them saying 'FINALLY!' Mettaton was actually grabbing some tissue and wiping away tears, defying the belief that robots couldn't shed them. The robot body was still a vessel for the ghost inside, after all.

"*sniff*...My little scientist...she's grown up so fast!" He muttered with pride, as he checked with Napstablook who was lightly crying from the scene. "And the ratings are skyrocketing! That's one point for romantic action, darlings! And may I share the exact same thought with all of you: FINALLY!"

Geno Alphys smiled and nodded with pride. "Thatta girl."

After a moment, the two pulled away from one another and they opened their eyes, their blushes very visible on their faces. Undyne coughed. "S-So...um...that was...unexpected..."

"Y-Yeah..." Alphys smiled sheepishly adjusting her glasses.

She rubbed her neck, grinning sheepishly "Does that mean...uh...are we...ya know...?"

Alphys was internally squealing at how cute Undyne was being right now. Though she had to give her answer. She nodded happily. "Y-Yes Undyne! It does!"

"Oh. Cool." Undyne grinned. Alphys smiled at her...only to gasp in surprise when Undyne suddenly grabbed her by her sides and lifted her above her head in the most triumphant manner ever! "FUHUHUHUHUHU! YA HEAR THAT, WORLD?! THIS NERDY CUTIE-PATOOTIE IS _ALLLLLL_ MINE!"

"Undyne plz no..." Alphys's head became fully red as she covered her face in a balanced mixture of pride and embarrassment.

"I am so proud of them." Asgore smiled softly, stroking his golden beard.

"So are we!" Asriel smiked cheerfully with a small hop, with Frisk doing the same. Chara just ushered a mild clap. Soon after a majority of the excitement winded down, everyone returned to their tables and returned to eating. Undyne had returned to carrying Alphys in her arms, this time in bridal style. Alphys wouldn't have it any other way.

Toriel smiled at the two and their newly opened relationship. It made her think for a couple moments to herself about certain relations of her own. She sighed deeply as she turned and walked away, moving past the doors and leaving the resort. Asgore watched her leave with a look of concern immediately placed on his muzzle. Sans lightly nudged him in the side, prompting him to look at the skeleton.

"heya chief. you might wanna tend to her. for something like this, you're the only one that can." Sans told him with a small wink. Asgore took in his words carefully, then nodded and ran out to catch up with Toriel.

She had pushed through the doors and made her way outside. Something in her soul didn't allow her to stay there even if she didn't know why. Feeling the lights of the hotel through the windows shining down on her, she could only sigh deeply as she tried to recount about why seeing Undyne and Alphys getting together manage to shake her.

"Toriel?" She turned her head to see Asgore in the doorway, pushing the door aside as she saw the concerned look on his face. He then allowed it to close behind him and walked up to her side. "Toriel? What's the matter? Why did you just leave like that?'

She sighed a bit as she turned away from him, hugging her arms. "I just...can't help hut think about how easy it was for them. Undyne...she gave me the first major hint that I needed to change my tune, and she didn't hold back, either. Her critism of me was savagely brutal. She couldn't tolerate that I had left you alone because I was disgusted with you, and felt like taking a higher route by refusing to participate in any of the kingdom's affairs. She called me cowardly for that." She gazed at the ground. "The emotional pain doubled. Because of how brutally honest she was, and the fact that she was _right_. The higher moral ground...I have no right to make such a claim."

Asgore lowered his eyes. "Tori..."

"Then I see everyone...how forgiving they are of each other..." Toriel continued. "I know that Undyne was made aware of Alphys's terrible experiements and how horrific they were and that she was wrong to keep them hidden...yet Undyne's primary concern was how she would be able to help her through it and to make her feel better. Alphys was her main focus the entire time, and her actions made that perfectly clear." Her head lowered further. "Even when she was aware of her wrongdoings, Undyne showed love, support, and compassion for Alphys when she was at her lowest point...the very things that I've failed and outright refused to do when _you_ were at your lowest..."

Asgore took a step forward.

"The very same thing happened with Asriel and Chara. Our son succeeded in saving our adopted child by forgiving him and telling him that he still loved him. Despite everything he's done, he's shown mercy towards him, just like Frisk. Even so, our own case...I..." She hugged herself tighter as she tried to keep the tears from leaving her eyes. "I was so alone...I chose that path, and yet I hated it. I hated being lonely in the Ruins, yet I refused to leave, and I focused on hating you more. I was...selfish to believe that I was the only one to suffer from all of this...selfish to try to act like the bigger person when I was just as responsible for all of the Kingdom's troubles...selfish to believe that you didn't care about having the children killed and only care about breaking the Barrier, just so I could justify how I was seeing you. Yet you never hated me at all...you just missed me dearly, and it made you act out of rage towards yourself and sadness towards our tragedy..." Toriel sniffles lightly. "I-I spent all of that time h-hating you...while you spent all of t-that time missing me...even when I treated you poorly and left an unbearable weight on your shoulders, you never looked towards my direction with hatred."

Asgore stepped forward again.

"The things I've said...the things I've done...the emotions I've felt...none of them have contributed in making our situation better. I just his myself away in some dark hole where no one could get to me, waiting for the madness to blow over, when I could have done something about it. No...I was selfish, unfair, and hypocritical. Towards the monsters...towards the kingdom...towards you...ESPECIALLY towards you! And yet you...you never..."

Asgore now stood directly behind her, grabbing her by the sides, turning her around, and hugging her to his chest. In response, she felt her restraint on her tears weaken as she buried her face into his chest which succeeded in lightly muffling her speech. She them curled her paws into fists and began softly pounding on his chest. "You...you...big...fluffy...DUMMY! You kept letting me walk all over you without resistance just so you wouldn't make me feel worse. Why couldn't you have just hated me for leaving you to shoulder the burdens alone? Why couldn't you have just hated me for pinning all of the blame on you and listen to me insist that I was in the right the entire time? Why do you insist on not hating me for ignoring the fact that you suffered just as much as I did?! Why, Asgore?! Why did you choose to forgive me instead of hating me?! WHY?!" She began shouting at him as she continued hitting his chest while breaking into a full sobbing fit. Asgore calmly allows her to vent while he gently held her in place, softly hugging her with his strong, burly, hairy arms.

Asgore remembered holding her like this. Sometimes a day was just so unbelievably bad for her that she couldn't help but uncontrollably shed a river of tears. Asgore would drop whatever he was doing _immediately_ , and tend his time to comforting her for as long as she needed. This was one such occasion, despite that they've long since split up. And yet...

Toriel's cries quieted down, and she moved her head upwards so her eyes could meet Asgore's. His smile was soft and genuine. "The same reason Asriel wanted to save Chara. Forgiveness is in practically in our blood, most of the time. I forgave you, regardless of how you treated me, because that's what family does." He said softly, soothingly, while he raised one of his arms and used a fuzzy thumb to gently wipe away her tears. "We've each done a great wrong. We choose to dedicate time to making up for those wrongs instead of focusing entirely on how bad the damage is. I took that lesson from our son."

Toriel gazed into his eyes, not resisting when he gently slid his paws over her cheeks, lightly lifting her own floppy ears. "Asgore...a majority of our memories are filled with suffering from the hell that our family has been forced to endure. We can never truly forget them. How do we cope with painful memories like those?"

Asgore smiled. "With a setup like ours? A capable plan and loyal and loving friends and family? The answer is simple." He says softly while leaning forward. "It's time for us to create new memories. Memories filled with happiness and joy...like this one." With this, he fully leaned in and kissed her muzzle, his eyes sliding down until they closed.

Toriel was shocked still by his bold action, her eyes widened significantly. Under other circumstances, she would have pushed him away and yelled at him for doing something like that. Then he'd apologize for it. But the truth was...Toriel was tired. She was tired of being lonely. She was tired of falsely and unfairly hating Asgore when he never thought of doing the same thing, but has no other way to cope with her absence. Here they were now. The Barrier was gone, a truce and deal with the humans was made, the six human children have gone to the afterlife in peace after saying goodbye to her and forgiving Asgore. So much has happened. So much had changed. She didn't know what to do next.

...no. That was a lie. She knew EXACTLY what to do next.

Her paws slid a bit over his shoulders, she slowly lowered her own eyes, and she returns the kiss kindly. Asgore was incredibly happy with this, as his paws slid downwards from her cheeks to just above her waist, pulling her closer. Likewise, her paws slid away from his shoulders and more around his neck, also pulling him closer. Both served to deepen their kiss. Silent tears escaped their closed eyes. All those years of loneliness, guilt, shame, regret, pain, and heartbreak resonated through the both of them. They deeply missed some another and they knew it. Asgore's choices were inexcusable, but he was forgiven. Toriel's attitude was even MORE inexcusable, but she was forgiven just as easily. They both suffered alone for so many years. Now...the worst was behind them. Their new primary concern was to mend any of the damage that was left, and then rebuild. This time they were back together...and they didn't want to let go again.

Toriel murrs slightly, and Asgore could feel her tongue push past his fangs to explore his mouth, almost as if claiming it for its own. He resisted the urge to chuckle. She tended to be the dominant one in moments like these...not that he didn't sort of enjoy it. Far from it, he considered that a trait he admired because he was always a touch too shy to start anything deeply passionate. But here, all he had to do was get it going.

After a quiet smack of both their lips, both of them pulled away from each other and wiped each others tears away. Toriel chuckled softly. "You still taste like Golden Flower Tea..."

"And you still taste like Butterscotch-Cinnamon Pie. Fitting, isn't it?" He shot back playfully.

She smiles at the comeback, though it lessoned somewhat as she gently pushed him away. "...No...we can't." She said while stepping back slightly.

"Is that right? From what just happened there, it looked and felt like you were plenty interested." He said with a rare sly smile.

"Um...n-no it d-didn't?" Toriel denied weakly, a tiny blush beginning to form on her face. "I mean...it's been such a long time..."

"All the more reason to reconnect in the here and now."

"We're not that young anymore..."

"Only in actual age than physical form, because Asriel was gone for so long. Even so, we're young enough to rebuild as best we can."

"You...you wouldn't find me as...um...attractive...as I used to be."

"Nonsense! Don't underestimate yourself too much, dear. You're as beautiful as ever. Both in personality and physical appearance. I prefer to enjoy the positives of both aspects than focus on the negatives."

Toriel turned her back on him, not wanting him to see how red she was getting. "No, really. It isn't something...I mean...like I said before, it's been a long time. I've noticed that I'm rather...plump. Of course I was never really that thin to begin with. But I _was_ down in the Ruins eating mostly pie made of either butterscotch-cinnamon or snails...and I believe some of it managed to go to my bosom and backside...I'm so embarrassed..."

"You shouldn't be. But if you still feel that way, allow me to reassure you." He said while walking up behind her and placing his paws on her shoulders. "Be reminded that I have quite a bit of weight on me myself. It's never stopped me from being king OR being cuddly. I'll have you know that many find your beauty to be spectacular." He smiled while nuzzling into the fuzzy fur of her neck, which caused her to close her eyes. "But if you need to hear it from me, then you shall. I still see you as the beautiful Queen I married a long time ago. You're a couple touches less chubby than I am, and I see yours as _totally_ cute and cuddly. Not only that, your bosom provides a place of warmth and comfort for our children to rest against. And maybe...me?"

"Hmmm." Toriel playfully rolled her eyes, but she didn't stop him from going on.

"Worth a try." Asgore smiled. "Your cheeks are so fuzzy and squishable...I can barely resist the urge to pinch them! Affectionately, of course. The cute horns on top of your head, your fuzzy floppy ears, your gorgeous crimson eyes, the sweet smell of butterscotch cinnamon..." Asgore paused for a little bit, then his face contorted into an also rare mischievous smirk of his own. "...not to mention that your curvaceousness is also very noteworthy...and don't be so hard on yourself. I find the backsides to be quite wonderful."

" _A-ASGORE D-D-DREEMURR!_ " Toriel stammered loudly in surprise as she turned around swiftly and punched his chest harder, which hurt him enough for him to grunt slightly but laugh nonetheless, as she blushed furiously while her other arm went behind her to cover her backside. Her husband has REALLY gotten a couple touches bolder. And it was likely he was doing this just to see her blush, and she looked absolutely adorable from the embarrassment that took over her.

"Bahahahaha!" Asgore then sighed, calming down. "In all seriousness, my view on your beauty, in both appearance and personality, has not wavered in the slightest over the long years we've been apart." He raised a paw and lifted her chin up so she could meet his eyes at a better angle. "I love you, Toriel. I've never stopped loving you, and I will never stop loving you. So whether you choose to take me back or not doesn't matter. As long as you're here with me and the kids...I'll be perfectly content."

Toriel gazed into his eyes and processed the genuineness of his claims. They have been suffering for such a long time. It was pretty huge to start thinking that the worst was finally behind them, that they were finally able to think about the future in a more positive light, on all fronts. Everything has been leading up to this.

Her expectations were surpassed.

Her loneliness was no more.

And her fears were faced with courage.

The worst was behind her. She wanted to, and she WILL, move on.

So she smiled softly at Asgore as her paws made their way around his neck again. "Asgore...after everything we've been through, and everything our friends and children have been through...I don't believe I can keep hating you. I don't believe I can keep ignoring the fact that we've both suffered. No...more like I WON'T pretend to be the only one suffering. My hypocrisy on the issue ends here. I agree with you that the worst is behind us. Now...it's time for us to begin healing."

"Yes...I believe it is."

Toriel's eyes lowered alluringly. "Alright then...my turn."

She pulled down Asgore's head and brought him in for another kiss. He gladly returns it, his paws sliding around her waist again. This one was noticably longer and more passionate than when Asgore started. Years of dormant emotions opened up through these kisses, as the Royal Couple _finally_ found closure and managed to reconcile. Asgore was again noticing that she was being a bit dominant, her tongue pushing his aside and roaming his mouth. He blushing furiously at this, but still had no complaints. Unknown to either of them, Toriel's right leg began to rise upwards during their kiss, until it went as high as it could go and just floated there. What REALLY sealed the deal was that their enhanced Boss Monster souls began pulsing in sync, realizing that after so many years of pain and suffering during their separation, they were finally reunited. And this time, _nothing_ would tear them apart like that ever again.

They both pulled back from each other, panting just slightly. Asgore was the first to recover, and began nuzzling her nose. "I love you, Tori."

Toriel smiled as she lowered her leg and pulled back, clasping their paws and returning the affectionate nuzzle. "I love you too, Fluffybuns." Asgore's eyes brightened, they were on a nickname basis agan! Surely a great accomplishment! Toriel reluctantly ceased her nuzzling, and turned towards the doors of the resort with a sly smile. "You can cease listening in, now."

CRASH!

By her word, the doors slid open, and the gang fell through. First was Asriel, Frisk, and Chara. Then Sans, Papyrus, Alphys, and Undyne. It seems that they were spying on a majority of their conversation. Sans was the first to recover, waving his hand as his grin turned innocent. "heya tori. we were just doing such a good job holding up this door. i gotta say, we make pretty good _doormen."_ Toriel snickered loudly at this.

"SANS! YOU SHALL NOT RUIN OUR CELEBRATION WITH YOUR TASTELESS PUNS!" Papyrus declared angrily.

"We totally weren't spying in you or anything like that!" Undyne chuckled uneasily, prompting Sans to facepalm. She realized her mistake. "Shoot! Alphys, back me up here!"

"The ship has been fixed...it's been a very long time...but the ship has _finally_ been fixed..." Alphys fist pumped upwards excitedly. "AND IT'S READY TO SAIL ONCE MORE!"

"I DO NOT SEE ANY SHIPS, ALPHYS."

"she's talkin' about asgore and tori, bro." Sans grinned. "these two have went back to being ship _mates_."

Papyrus's eye socket twitched angrily. "SANS. YOU ARE TRYING MY PATIENCE." Toriel giggled at the pun, as well as blushing brightly at it's double-meaning.

"hehe, c'mon bro. let's go back inside. tori, you gotta make some pies for us, if you will."

"Why certainly!" Toriel exclaimed while clasping her paws. "I'll have an extra special pie prepared for Papyrus. It'll have his face on it, his catchphrase, nearly everything."

Papyrus gasped, clasping his cheekbones. "MY GREATNESS SHALL BE TRANSFERRED ONTO PIE?! WOWIE! I CAN HARDLY WAIT!"

"Indeed. And we'll call it..." Toriel smirked, and it made Papyrus uneasy. "Pa-pie-rus."

There was a long, silent paise from the lanky skeleton, his fists clenching with annoyance. Instead of targeting Toriel, he instead went for Sans again. "YOU ARE A BAD INFLUENCE ON HER!"

"aw come on, bro. i have a feeling that papyrus and pa-pie-rus will get alone just fine"

Papyrus grounded his teeth together for a couple moments. The he quickly took out a Legendary Hero, ridding of the contents until bread remained. "I HAVE A JOKE FOR YOU!" He lightly smacked the two pieces of bread on Sans' cheekbones. "SANS! WHAT ARE YOU?"

Sans paused in deep thought...then a plethora of tiny bones formed over his head until it formed a bone-hat, and he placed it on his head, grinning widely. "an idiot sans-witch!" Toriel held her sides due to how much she was laughing. Papyrus just dropped Sans completelt and pushed the doors open, heading back inside. "aw, come on, bro! be a pal!"

"NO. I AM DONE. THIS IS ME BEING DONE. I AM DONE WITH YOUR SHENANIGANS FOR TODAY!"

Sans shrugged. "so you're saying that you're skele _done?"_

 ** _"SAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNSSSSSSSS!"_**

Sans chuckled at Papyrus's comedic misery, and proceeded to follow him back into the resort. Undyne once again carried Alphys, much to the latter's embarassment, and also follwed them back into the resort. Soon enough, all that are left are the Dreemurr's. Renewed lovers Toriel and Asgore. And the children. Asriel, Chara, and Frisk Dreemurr. The latter seemed to be looking around for a little bit after the scenes. Then he stared at the ground.

"Everyone is...so happy..."

"Hm?" Asriel looked at him strangely, then smiled. "Of course we're happy Chara! Everything has worked out for the better! The monsters are happy, we've managed a decent agreement with humankind, of course everything is fine!"

"Yeah...I get that...but for how long?" They were all confused by what he was trying to say at first. But then it clicked instantly in Asriel's mind, and he narrowed his eyes.

"You won't, Chara."

"You tore the demonic soul off of me like tape, Asriel. You may have saved me for the moment...but what if something causes me to turn again? You can't be so sure that I won't. I've been at this too long in order to just stop at the drop of a hat."

"That's not going to happen, Chara. We won't let you. We won't give you a _reason_ to turn back to that path. We're not going to make the same mistske again. You're sins may be impossible to forget, but you accepting the path of redemption is definitely enough for it to be possible. You can become a better person. We believe in you."

Chara hugged his arms slightly. "I don't know, Asriel. How long will it take for the others to trust me? Because many times ive betrayed all of that trust by-"

" _CHARA!_ " Chara and Frisk jumped up at Asriel's outburst, and was surprised when he suddenly held him by the arms. "Listen to me. We won't let you turn away again. Frisk has sacrificed a lot for the both of us. All of us, even. I am going to make sure that those sacrifices are not wasted. You're not a waste of life, Chara, and I won't let anyone convince you otherwise. Sans can be angry if he wants to, but if he give you too serious trouble, you come to us. We'll set him straight." Asriel's grip became softer, and he fully enveloped Chara in a hug. "I've already lost you once because I hesitated greatly. I'm not about to repeat that mistake. Not with you, not with Frisk, not with anyone. I love you, Chara. My brother. That can't be changed. It never will."

Frisk agrees with this, hugging Chara from the other side once again. Toriel and Asgore aldo bent down to meet his level, engulfing all three of them in fluffy, fuzzy warm hugs. Chara felt their souls pulsing with his own, they all gathered closer, and making him feel warmer. They all embraced him woth as much love and affection as they could muster. Chara genuinelt felt their hearts reaching out to him, with promises of love and compassion. He's fallen far, and they made a serious attempt at raising him back up. And it feels like Asriel and Frisk were going to make due on their promise to make sure he NEVER falls again. With this reassurance in mind, Chara relaxed in their group hug, and their warmth was even more heartfelt as a result. They eventually released him, as Asriel and Frisk each grabbed him by one hand.

"Come on, Chara! Cinnamon Bunnies and Starfaits are free! I'm gonna be so stuffed!" Asriel gleefully cheered as the both of them pulled him back through the doors. Chara's smile was a mix of annoyance and happiness...though his soul indicates that it leans more on the latter.

Asgore and Toriel watched them run back jnside with amused laughter. It died down after a couple moments, then Asgore held his arm out for Toriel, a wide grin spreading on his face. "Shall we?"

She nodded readily and accepted the arm, hugging it with a bright smile of her own. "Indeed." With this, they looked lovingly at one another as they walked into the resorr, which was bright with cheer and neom lights, courtesy of Mettaton.

It would be six years before they're officially allowed to move to the surface. But they knew that they had accomplished what they meant to accomplish. They were all happy, safe, and free. Whatever struggles that may come in the future, they would deal with together.

Because they were all filled...with **DETERMINATION!**

 **(Waterfall)**

In the depths of the area Waterfall, there was a small room. A room that couldn't be accessed because of the difficult puzzles that kept anyone from ever reaching it. Undyne was well aware of this room's existence, but was frustrated by the fact that she could never ger to it because she never solved the puzzles.

This room was known as the Artifact Room. And as the name implies, it holds a legendary artifact on a pedestal. It glowed a brilliant crimson, shining due to the crystals lighting up the area. Frisk has been in this room plenty of times. But before he could take the artifact, the Annoying Dog would show up and 'absorb' it. But since Frisk did not interact with the artifact, thus leaving it untouched, this did not happen. Frisk never even questioned if there was a REASON why the Annoying Dog absorbs it, just that it does.

...Little does anyone know, there IS a reason.

The sphere seems to have absolutely no purpose at all, because it's always removed before anyone can interact with it. But since it was left alone in this timeline, something very interesting can happen. No one was currently around to see it. But if one were to look very closely into the artifact, focusing on it's shape and wondering why it's considered legendary, they would get a very subtle but also VERY significant clue. For a fraction of a second...just a _fraction_. If one with very precise analytic skills were to look at the artifact for themselves, they would discover that something was inside. Maybe even _someone._

...it glowed brightly for a couple moments, lighting up the cave with a beautiful crimson. On the sphere, an image of the Delta Rune symbol could be seen for a couple good seconds.

Then the glow dies down, and the room returned to glowing it's usual crystal blue-green. One thing was for certain...someone would come back for that artifact.

This timeline, the Annoying Dog will no longer be able to hide it's secret...

* * *

 **Flowey:...**

 **Me:...**

 **Flowey: *Angry Glare* No.**

 **Me: Oh yes.**

 **Flowey: NOOOOOO! *wiggles around childishly* YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME! YOU JUST CAN'T! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT?!**

 **Sans: sorry, weed. that small section was spoilers galore as it is. we'll have to wait to see what ben does with it.**

 **Asriel: Sorry, Flowey.**

 **Flowey: Ugh...**

 **Me: Yeah, there's the hook. Let's see what it does.**

 **Toriel: I'm a bit interested myself~**

 **Asgore: One of the guest reviewers has made a suggestion. Make a series of one-shots that show the monsters are doing while waiting out those six years.**

 **Me: Hm...it sounds like a cool idea. Especislly since I managed to get most of the super dark stuff outta the way first. Now I can do all of the fluff that I want! BUT...I have to see if that's what the readers want. Since I can't really set up a poll, I leave it to you guys to decide at the end of your reviews.**

 **Alphys: Does B-Ben just skip to the sequel after the six-year timeskip? Or d-do you want him to do one-shots of the t-time passing by?**

 **Undyne: He's got plenty of ideas for them, but you guys can step in and lend a hand, too!**

 **Papyrus: MAKE A DRABBLE DEDICATED TO THE GREAT PAPYRUS! IT SHALL INVITE OTHERS TO BE FRIENDS WITH ME!**

 **Ben: Again, I'm considering it, but depending on the response, I may or may not do it. We'll see where the heck everything goes and what goes where. But until then, I thank you for reading this little tale of mine. This story EASILY has the most favorites and follows of all of my stories. I was thinking 'wow! I don't suck at this! :D' But seriously, thanks for reading, and depending on response, you can either wait a long time for the sequel when I have a decent idea on where to take it, or you can bide that time with my little drabbles which will also help me think. I already have a few in mind. Some fluffy, some humorous, some are just pure chaos, and some are...well...I'll just say that nothing I do will surpass T-rating. Trust me, I don't have the guts to do anything too drastic. *sweatdrop***

 **Frisk: *waves at you***

 **Chara: Tch. Whatever. *nibbles on chocolate***

 **Asriel: *waves and smiles* I'm sure well see each other again soon!**

 **Everyone: THANKS FOR READING! STAY DETERMINED!**


	24. Gaster

He's been staring at the seen for a very long time now. Everything seems to have gone smoothly. Everyone was happy, and much more importantly, everyone was _alive_. Not that he wasn't glad that they were happy, but there were just so many risks taken on this journey, that he didn't know what to think of it at first. But after his continued observation of the three hildren of the Underground, all three of them surviving the encounter and clash, he knew that he was very much satisfied with how thing's turned out. Though the shattering of the **True Reset** and keeping the regular Reset was a strange move. At least when the latter was concerned. Though he chose to trust the Prince's judgement. It seems to have vastly improved for someone so young, whose past was full of torment.

He could definitely related to him on the tormnt part. Both of their lives have been filled with unbearable amounts of hell, no mistake about that. At least it was over on Asriel's part. He coouldn't bear watching the child suffer for so long, as his death was he ultimate catalyst for everything that's happened in the Underground. But with everyone's interference, they were able to complete avert what was supposed to be a permanent loop. It was broken. Now he shall see where this new path shall take them. A path they shall take...

...without him.

That was never going to be easy to accept. Though he also long accepted that complaining about it was not going anytime soon. One of the few positives that came with being scattered across time and space was that h had plenty of time to think. Possibly _too much_ time to think. Perhaps so much time to think, that he didn't even discard the possibility that he might be going mad. So much nothingness can drive anyone insane with enough time. Unfortunately for Gaster, he has sent far too much time here. Or maybe he didn't. Was he here for a long time? A short time? Several yers? Several seconds? He's learned that the void made the perception of time completely meaningless. Though his time in the Void hasn't taken away his ability to feel.

So much has happened here in this timeline. Such an interesting, fine change of events. The status quo has been defied foor the sake of everyone's happiness. The irredeemable became redeemable. The Prince has returned. The Royal Family was reunited. The truth of the Amalgamates was revealed. Alphys resigned her position on her own free will. And so much more. To think, all it took was a single wish. Fate decided that they would never know true, genuine happiness. If that was how it was going to be, then fate would have to be defied. They refused to allow it to tell them whether they can be happy or not. They were brave enough to challenge it, and they actually _won_. He never would have expected something like that would happen. Though, there was the biggest, most noticeable change in the status quo.

The stats were gone.

He didn't know how they did it, but the stats. Were. _Gone_.

That was the last thing he expected to happen. ATK. DEF. LV. EXP. All of those things never even showed up once. They were mentioned as a mere passing memory. they were rendered irrelevant. It was a wonder he should have noticed sooner. Only Sans was capable of dodging attacks..at least that's how things used to be. Now everyne was actually choosing to dodge attacks heading their way. They also defended against attacks they couldn't dodge. There were more attacks to be used, and more strategy to be used than simply attacking head-on. And not to mention, the Angel's Blessing...while Asriel and Asgore may be terrible at naming things, that actually didn't sound too shabby. Blessed by the angel and granted immeasurable power, for the sake of preserving the timeline, becoming powerful enough to combat LOVE, and even completely surpass it. That was extraordinary on many levels.

Making the impossible possible. That was how powerful their Determination was. Though now the timeline had an extra Alphys. That was going to be strange. Then again, nothing about ay of this can be considered normal. Status quo be damned, they decided.

So in the end, the major changes of the timeline hae become very prominent when it came to those three: Frisk still had his soul, Asriel had the soul of Frisk from a Genocide Timelime and enhanced with the essences of the other six children, and Chara's soul was inhabiting Geno Frisk's discarded body. It wasn't a corpse, but without a consciousness it could not move on it's own. Thus Chara took the body for himself so he would be able to move on his own, without resistance. It was slightly disturbing, but Gaster has seen-and done-worse things before he ended up stuck in he Void. Things he certainly wasn't proud of. But there was no going back to fix those mistakes, not for him at least. As much as he would really appreciate being freed from this endless hell, he honestly wouldn't have anything against fate if it decided to keep him here for all eternity, as punishment for his past actions. He does feel regret, though he feels as if there's nothing he could do about it now, except sit in the Void and wait.

Wait for another destiny-changing event to occur, as the inhabitants of this timeline have proven themselves capable of doing. Maybe he would check up on them at least once. Yes, once would be enough. Just to get a gauge on how things were going to change from here on out even if it were for a moment. Now there would be even further changes to be made, once they get to the Surface again. More game-changers to behold.

The Artifact. The Annoying Dog. Riverperson. And So Sorry. The latter three will know what to do once the time comes. And when that time comes, he hoped that everything would turn out alright. He doesn't expect himself to be reassembled. He considered that to be a **_true_** impossibility. Though they've proven themselves capable of making the impossible possible, carving their own dstinies, and not follow the ones set in stone if it means their destruction. Perhaps such Determination would one day free him from this dark abyss, and furter their success on the Surface.

...It was a longshot of legendary proportions. But at the same time...

...He can't help but be filled wiith hope.

* * *

 **A lost chapter, is what I could consider this for the story that started a year ago. He's always been watching and listening, even to this end. Until the day that might come when he's finally free of the Void's clutches.**

 **I was going to ut it in 'Tales Of The Underground' though I had a feeling that it would be better suited being around here, bringing the number of chapters to an even number. Noto bad, I might say. Not bad at all.**

 **...Or it might be complete garbage. I dunno.**

 **I'm not trying to cheese this thing, really. I just find it suitable for Gaster to provide his final thoughts on this story's events before moving onto the sequel. Or at least...the rebooted sequel. I'm not above admitting that I mucked up the first one. Hopefully the second one will be much better. The title names are even similar! Hehehehe...heh...**

 **I'm horrible.**

 **Anyway, hope you got some sort of satisfaction out of this lost episode. I just felt the need to get it out. As he made one appearance and never came back, I felt the need to release this one hurrah. Well...some sort of hurrah at least. Be sure to check out 'Our New Era', my second chance at getting the sequel to run a bit more smoothly, and having much more...ya know, _actual_ time on the Surface. Maybe it won't be as popular(again, I REALLY didn't expect this one to be my most successful story)but as long as it's enjoyable to some, I'll be content.**

 **Peace out, fellow readers.**


End file.
